


It All Started at First Base

by StellaFleuret



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Consensual Sex, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Sex, Eventual Threesome, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Military Science Fiction, Multi, Original Fiction, Plot What Plot, Polyamory, Relationships and Porn without Plot, Secret Relationship(s), Slow Burn, Threesome - F/M/M, kinda slow for a short story i guess, military romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-03-26 07:09:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13852647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StellaFleuret/pseuds/StellaFleuret
Summary: She gets double the money and double the guys.Skye Lehmann has two jobs to do: one, a mercenary contract with her home country's base halfway across the world; two, investigate and uncover the mole at the base.And they would have been much easier to do if she hadn't gotten involved with a man.  Men.  Two men.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have no experience whatsoever in the military, so forgive any and all mistakes I have made. This short story is self-indulgent; do not take it seriously. This is purely for fun, and for myself. And also the sex is not graphic. Sorry not sorry for this cheesy saccharine fluff with the terrible title.

**October 3, 2054**

**Day 1**

**0921 hours**

**Colonel Velasquez’s Office**

 

“So did you get that, Lehmann?”

Skye’s stomach chose that moment to growl loudly.  She blushed as she nodded. The colonel laughed.

“Breakfast service is already over, but I’ve already asked Frederickson to bring some food over for you. You can eat in the lobby, and we’ll show you to your assigned room.”

The colonel led Skye out of the room. Before she could make her way towards the lobby, he clapped a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m happy you’re here, Lehmann,” he said. “And I know you have a lot of work to do, but don’t let them get to your head. You have a year to build friendships here too.  Just be careful.”

Friends?  Between the two jobs Skye would be working while at the base, she doubted she would have the opportunity for that, but she wasn't unwilling to try.

Skye had been waiting for a few minutes when a friendly-looking marine entered with a tray in his hands.

“Lehmann, right?” The marine asked, and she nodded. He held out the tray of food for her, and she accepted it. It smelled heavenly. “Didn’t know what you liked, so I tried to give you the basics.”

“Thanks.”

He nodded. “I’ll be waiting outside. When you’re done, I’ll show you around and take you to your room.”

He left, and Skye dug into the food: a toasted English muffin with ham, Swiss cheese, and fried egg; a bowl of hot oatmeal, a banana, strawberry flavored yogurt, a cup of black tea and a cup of steaming coffee with some milk and sugar on the side. Apart from the yogurt (which she preferred vanilla), she devoured everything else with gusto and, after adding some milk and sugar, drained the tea. The coffee remained untouched.

It didn’t take long for her to finish the food. When she stood with the near-empty tray, she sighed. She never usually felt this full; perhaps she ate too quickly.

Skye stepped out of the lobby and saw the marine waiting by the door. He gave her a smile and took it from her.

“Haven’t introduced myself properly yet. Brad Frederickson.”

“Nice to meet you, Frederickson.”

She was surprised when he offered his right hand, balancing the tray on his left. They shook.

He brought her to the DFAC— dining facility— first, to drop off the tray.

Along the way, Skye couldn’t help but stare at all the soldiers’ asses; she probably should’ve felt somewhat ashamed, but they were all so… sculpted and muscular, even with pants on.

Frederickson moved on to show her the other basic facilities of the base: the medical bay, gym, two other dining facilities that were called “The Café” and “The Bar and Grill,” the other barracks, and the command center.  Skye picked up her luggage at the command center’s reception area before Frederickson led her to Barracks A.  They took the lift up to the third floor— the top one— and walked along the hallway before stopping in front of a door.    

Room 73. Frederickson held her ID card against the scanner and it beeped.

 

**1021 hours**

**Room 73**

 

With a soft hiss, the door to the dorm opened and the lights flickered on as well.  Like everything else she had seen so far, the room was sleek.  The floors were made of lightwood and the walls of shiny metal panels.  There were three simple beds, two shoved against the far left and right walls, and one pushed up against the wall directly ahead of her, each with a locker at the foot of it, complete with a clothes rack and drawer.  The middle of the room dipped down into a sunken area with a low table and four cushioned chairs, along with a mini fridge (complete with a freezer) and a reheater.  The door to her right led to the shared bathroom.  Panels of light lined the ceiling, illuminating the room in a bright fluorescence that made everything look shiny and modern.

The two beds against the left and right walls were already occupied by her roommates, based on the shoes under the beds and the open lockers at their bases.  Skye crossed the room to place her two suitcases beside the remaining bed against the last wall, the only side with a window.

 _Hope they don’t snore too loud,_ she thought to herself.

“Hmm.”  Frederickson walked into the dorm, his hands shoved in his pockets. “Guess you’ll meet your roommates tonight then.”

Skye huffed.  “Would’ve preferred to meet them now,” she said.  _That way I would’ve gotten it over with._

“Hey.”  He walked over and smiled a little, handing her the ID card.  “I know your roommates.  They’re chill.  Things’ll be fine.”

Skye smiled back, placing the ID in her pocket.  “Thanks for showing me around, Frederickson.”

“It’s all good, man.”  He held out his hand and Skye shook it once more, firmly.  “Focus on getting settled, all right?  I’ll see you around.”

Frederickson left the room, the door closing behind him with another soft hiss.

Skye spent the next couple hours unpacking and placing her clothes and belongings in their appropriate places. She took out the laundry bag from the locker, hung it at the foot of her bed, and began making the bed.  She was pleased that there was already a mattress pad available, and once she had finished with everything, she was tempted to collapse and take a nap.  But the idea of her roommates coming in when she was unprepared to make her first impression left her heart pounding.  So once she had collapsed and put away her luggage, Skye promptly exited the room. She still had work to do; she could at least get started on one of the jobs.

She caught a glimpse of the lights flickering off before the door slid shut, and the panel outside, which had had two lights out of three on, now had all three glowing red.

 _I should explore the rest of the base,_ she thought as she made her way towards the lift again.  _Frederickson didn’t show me around the whole place._

She was just about to exit the building when a voice spoke behind her.

“Damn, you’re short.”

Skye jumped a little and turned to look.  A tall, lean young man with dark blond hair and light brown eyes was regarding her with an amused countenance.

“And?”  She raised a brow at him.

“Lance Aleksi,” he grinned, extending his hand out.  She glanced at him warily before shaking his hand.

“Skye Lehmann,” she replied.

“You’re new here, aren’t you?”

“What gave it away?  My wide puppy eyes?” she asked, dryly.

“I think you’ll be the smallest dude here,” Aleksi said.

“Well hopefully the fact that I’m good at sharpshooting will save me.”

He blinked.  “Oh, are you the recruit from that merc group… The Olympian Regiment?”

She nodded.

“Hmm.”

“If I’m a fair sniper, won’t people judge me on what I can do and not on how big I am?”

“Well, yeah, but it’s still pretty funny.  Just keep your eyes open for anyone who wants to take advantage of you or make fun of you… like me,” he added with a wide grin.

“They won’t!  Will they?”  She asked, her eyes wide, even as she pointedly ignored that he had mentioned he would make fun of her.  Her training unit had focused on a very specific set of skills for the men and women in her group, and they’d all gotten along very well.  Since being in the unit had been her only exposure to the military, Skye had never gotten any actual experience in the Corps.

“I don’t think it’s something you should be surprised about,” said Aleksi.  There was silence for a moment as he took in her expression, and Skye realized that she was making no effort whatsoever to hide her anxiety.  His gaze seemed to soften a little before he said, “Come on.  I might as well show you around.”

He did end up showing her around the rest of the base Frederickson hadn’t taken her to, with Skye tailing him like a lost puppy.  She couldn’t help but notice that she seemed to be getting some curious looks her way. Hopefully it was only because of her height.

They stopped for lunch at The Bar and Grill where they helped themselves to some of the local food. Since the base was located in Daehan Minguk, the least Skye felt she could do was try authentic Hanguk cuisine in the country.  After all, it was her first time in Asia.

She didn’t eat much, though. When Aleksi asked why she didn’t get more food, she told him it was nerves, which was half-true.  He understood: first days were always nerve-wracking. 

Aleksi attempted to strike up some conversation as well; he asked about how she started at the mercenary company and whether her work affected her relationships with family and friends. Despite his strange way of introducing himself, Skye found herself relaxing and enjoying his company.  She was grateful that she already had someone to help her when she hadn’t even been at the base for a full day yet.

After a satisfying dinner of roast beef, carrots, green beans and buttery biscuits (Skye was quite impressed with the DFAC’s dinner spread), Aleksi officially continued his tour. Having never been on a military base before, Skye found she was actually looking forward to all the activities the place had: running on the athletic field, watching movies, playing pool and going bowling in the entertainment building, and maybe even swimming.

But then she remembered, with a sinking feeling, that she might not be able to swim at all if she was female attempting to pass as male.

It was nearly ten when Skye admitted she was quite exhausted.  Aleksi nodded.

“What barracks are you in?”

“Barracks A.”

“Same!  Room number?”

“Seventy-three.”

He blinked and smiled a little. “Vasallo and Anastos?  They’re chill.”

Skye felt a little perturbed. Sure, she’d only talked to a couple men so far, but why was everyone so vague about her roommates other than, “they’re chill?” 

Aleksi walked her back to the third floor of Barracks A.  “Meet you back out here for breakfast?”

“When does breakfast start?”

“Six-thirty.”

Skye groaned, and he laughed at her reaction. 

“It ends at nine.  You okay with seven-thirty?”

“Sure.”

“Cool.  See you tomorrow, Lehmann.”  He walked off in the opposite direction of her.  Skye turned around and made her way towards her room, pausing outside of the door.

_Oh God._

Two out of three lights were green. She took a deep breath and held her card against the panel.

_Beep._

The door slid open.

She stepped inside, the door sliding closed behind her. She felt two pairs of eyes from the two men train on her, then. The one to her right was lying on his bed reading a book, shirtless. A lean and handsome young man with a swimmer’s build, he had the face of a model, olive skin, amber eyes and damp brown hair fresh from the shower. He looked familiar to Skye, somehow, but she couldn’t place where and how she would’ve met him before.

The other man to her left was standing, and had been in the midst of putting away some clothes in the drawer of his locker. He was one of the largest men she had ever seen: well over six feet tall (she assumed, she wasn’t too sure herself since she was only five foot five), and with a powerful musculature that made his shirt cling to him like a second skin. He wasn’t as handsome as her other roommate, but he was attractive, she supposed, in his own way. He was definitely more intimidating, though; his face was more rugged and masculine, and he had tan skin, close-cropped black hair and blue-grey eyes. Though his features weren’t as “refined” as the other roommate’s, he definitely had pretty eyes.

“Hi,” she squeaked. “I’m Skye Lehmann. New roommate.” Inside, she cringed.

_Way to make a good first impression._

The handsome man on the bed stared at her, looking completely unimpressed. “Connor Anastos,” he grunted, and then looked back down at his book again. She could’ve deflated.

_He didn’t even bother to get up and say hi._

The other one dropped his clothes on his bed and walked over, towering over her. Skye did her best to resist the urge to shrink back. Despite the tremor in her belly as he neared her, she held her ground and looked him in the eye.

His gaze held hers, and she watched as his eyes wandered all over her face, as if memorizing her features. Then he grinned, and Skye was surprised at how boyish he suddenly looked.

“Skye, huh? Interesting name.”

A shiver ran down her spine; it would’ve been far more entertaining if this man, who looked to be the very definition of masculinity, in terms of looks, had had a soft, gentle voice. But he had to have a deep, smooth one, of course.

“I’m Raze. Raze Vasallo.” He held out his hand, and when she placed hers in his, it completely engulfed hers. They shook, Skye being careful to keep her expression blank despite the tingle that ran up the length of her arm when she felt his warm, calloused palm and fingers.

_A name to match your appearance._

“Nice to meet you,” she said, secretly pleased that her voice sounded a little more normal and not as high-pitched. She couldn’t help but be a little disappointed that Connor, the attractive and far less intimidating one, hadn’t given her the light of day while Raze had. At least Raze looked much friendlier when he smiled.

 

**Day 2**

**0727 hours**

**Room 73**

 

Skye was in a slightly better mood that morning. Her roommates’ snoring hadn’t been too loud, but it was noticeable enough, too; she supposed this was one of the benefits of being a heavy sleeper. Or perhaps she had been too tired yesterday, and had promptly passed out in bed. When she’d woken, she’d discovered that both her roommates had already left for breakfast.

 _Hope I’ll be able to get some nice, consistent sleep here,_ she thought, stepping out of the room.

She shouldn’t have been surprised that Aleksi was waiting outside, but she still was (pleasantly so) when she saw him leaning against the wall, listening to some music with the sleek silver band wrapped around the back of his head and covering his ears— it looked like it was the latest version of the Maestro player.

He pushed off against the wall when he saw her and took off the device, pushing against the ends so that it returned to its portable size, and then put it in his pocket.

“Morning,” he grinned a little.

“Good morning,” she smiled back. She was incredibly lucky that she already knew someone who could keep her company here.

“Come on.” He started making his way towards the elevator, and Skye followed. “Want to introduce you to someone.”

 

**0733 hours**

**DFAC**

 

“Sinclair,” Aleksi called as they approached the door to the dining facility.

An enormous, tall black man built like a linebacker turned to face them. Scruff lined his jaw and his dark hair was braided into cornrows against his scalp.

“Aleksi,” Sinclair rumbled, walking over to shake his hand and slap him on the back. His gaze turned to Skye, and she blinked up at him. “And who’s this?”

“Lehmann,” Aleksi introduced, nudging her forward. “The new meat they brought in.”

“Ah. The sniper?”

Skye nodded. She was surprised by how gentle his grip was when they shook hands, as if he was intentionally using less strength because of her size.

“It’s a pleasure, Lehmann.” Sinclair grinned a little, his eyes warm. She relaxed and smiled nervously. He gestured towards the door. “Let’s get some chow.”

Her eyes widened a little when they entered the dining facility and she saw the spread; she hadn’t come in here yesterday during breakfast, and though there was a much smaller selection than for lunch and dinner, she was still rather pleased with the options.

She got herself a plate and wandered around behind Aleksi and Sinclair. After getting some scrambled eggs, French toast with syrup, and some fruit (pineapple cubes, grapes, and an apple), Skye got a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice and followed them to a table.

“You don’t eat much, do you?” Aleksi asked as he sat down beside her, with Sinclair opposite them.

Skye glanced over at Aleksi and Sinclair’s plates heaped with food and took a sip of her juice. “Have you seen how much smaller I am compared to you two?”

“Well, before you, the shortest guy here was Williams. He’s five foot eight or nine,” Sinclair said with an amused grin, “and he could eat as much as us.”

“Sounds like Williams has a few inches on me,” Skye shrugged, cutting up some of her French toast.

“That’s why you’re so little,” Aleksi chuckled beside her. “You’ve got an appetite to match your body.”

“You came in yesterday?” Sinclair asked just as Skye stuffed her mouth with French toast.

She nodded, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk. The two men laughed at her. She swallowed.

“So how did the introductions with the roommates go?” Aleksi asked, but before she could answer, Sinclair followed up with another question.

“Who’s he roomed with?”

“Vasallo and Anastos.” Aleksi answered for her.

Sinclair nodded, clearly approving. “Good men. Anastos found my lost ID at a bar off base. Would’ve been fucked if he hadn’t. I told him I’d pay him back, but he said there was no need. Still need to find a time to buy him a beer.”

“Yeah. Vasallo helped me back to the base when my leg was busted once. Kept me laughing the whole way to the Med Bay. Sometimes I feel like he tried too hard though,” Lance chuckled.

Skye popped some scrambled eggs into her mouth and pursed her lips before chewing. One of her roommates looked like a dick and the other looked as if he could probably strangle her if she pissed him off. She wondered if she’d ever be able to see these sides of her roommates despite the fact that Aleksi and everyone else seemed adamant they were kind.

“Lehmann?”

She looked up at them and realized they were still waiting for her answer.

“It could’ve gone better,” she admitted, after swallowing the eggs. “Anastos just gave his name but Vasallo seemed friendly enough, once you get over the shock of how big he is.”

They laughed at her again, and though she knew it was friendly laughter, Skye could feel her cheeks turn red.

“Sinclair is even bigger’n Vasallo, and it didn’t look like you pissed your pants when you met him,” Aleksi pointed out.

“That’s different.” Skye shifted a little. “Can’t explain it. Vasallo unnerves me a little.”

Sinclair shot her a knowing grin, and she quickly looked down at her tray of food, stuffing her mouth again in an attempt to not say anything else embarrassing.

“Well, trust me when I say I don’t think you have much to worry about, Lehmann,” Aleksi reassured her. “He gets along with almost everyone. I don’t think you’d be an exception.”

Later that night, Skye was pleasantly surprised to hear Vasallo call her name when she arrived outside of their door.

“Lehmann.” Vasallo jogged over towards her. “Drills tomorrow at the field. 0400 hours.”

“So early?”

He grinned a little. “That’s why I’m telling you ahead of time.”

She nodded. “Thanks for telling me.”

He nodded and walked away.

 _Guess he and Anastos have some other business to do,_ she thought. _Eh. More sleep for me!_

Skye freshened up in record time and set up her alarm on her Miroir cell before slipping into bed.

 

**Day 3**

**0353 hours**

**Athletic Field**

 

Skye shuffled onto the field’s dewy grass. The sky was still very dark, though the horizon did seem a little greyer than usual. When she glanced around, she threw her head back and groaned.

She was the only one on the field. Vasallo had tricked her.

_That dick._

Skye began dragging herself back to the dorm, wondering how she hadn’t noticed that both of her roommates had still been asleep. She could just imagine his expression when she pinched sleeping Vasallo’s nose as soon as she returned to the dorm…

_Not unless I wanna get beat up, though… Would get him back if I wasn’t so tired. How the hell am I supposed to work if he’s going to be like this?_

 

**0401 hours**

**Room 73**

                 

She stumbled into the room and had some semblance to quickly change out of her clothes and into her pajamas: a tank top and a pair of shorts (in the bathroom, of course).

Typically, at home, she would only wear a slightly longer shirt as a nightdress. But Skye felt far more comfortable wearing a tank top and shorts around two men she didn’t know.

She collapsed into the bed and dragged the sheets over her, only vaguely aware of Vasallo snoring a little.

 

**0722 hours**

 

Skye woke a little earlier than usual in the hopes that she would be able to avoid Vasallo and be out of the room before he got up. She wasn’t sure why he gave her that false information, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of having pulled one over her.

Unfortunately, when she reached for her ID card on her bedside table, she discovered a note in its place, with Vasallo’s writing cheerfully stating that he had hidden her ID and she would need to find it in the dorm before leaving for breakfast.

Silently cursing her luck, Skye made her way around the dorm for the next slip of paper. Vasallo had laid out a little treasure hunt throughout the room, hiding bits of paper with clues and hints that promised to ultimately lead to her ID. She was quite impressed with the effort he had put into this, to be honest, and might’ve even enjoyed it if he weren’t an asshole.

But checking her watch made her realize she would need to hurry if she wanted to get breakfast. Her Miroir cell already had a few messages from Aleksi asking where she was and that if she didn’t arrive soon, the DFAC would be closed until lunch (the other dining facilities were undergoing a series of renovations).

Skye finally found her ID hiding under one of the cushions at the dining table in the middle of the room, and to say she was triumphant would have been an understatement.

 

**0824 hours**

**DFAC**

 

When she plopped herself down next to Aleksi (Sinclair had a checkup today), he said, “What took you so long today?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she sighed.

He opened his mouth to say something else, but when Skye glanced over with a don’t-push-it look, he returned his gaze to his tray and continued to eat.

Skye continued getting pranked throughout the day, and it wasn’t hard to deduce who was doing it.

When she opened her closet, a small helium balloon promptly shot out, making her duck as her heart practically jumped out of her chest. She turned to watch it fly around the room, making a high-pitched farting sound as it deflated.

The second time she (cautiously) opened her closet, a shower of Styrofoam popcorn fell as soon as the door swung open. Luckily, it caused her much less of a heart attack, but Skye couldn’t help but wonder how quickly he must’ve worked in order to set that prank up within a few hours. Cleaning up the Styrofoam took a while; she wondered if there was a way to find a lock for her closet without raising their superiors’ eyebrows.

 

**2026 hours**

**Room 73**

 

“Hey, Vasallo, can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Hmm?”

Skye paused at the bathroom door and listened carefully. The door was still relatively thick, but if she stayed quiet enough, she could hear what they said.

“Maybe you should ease up on Lehmann a little bit.”

She widened her eyes at Anastos’ words, her heart fluttering. The handsome roommate who seemed to eye everything as if it were a nuisance was sticking up for her?

“What’d you mean?” Vasallo asked.

“I dunno, you can tell by looking at him that he’s getting a little… worn out. You know? Maybe you should give him a break.”

“I’m pretty much doing the same thing to him that I’ve done to everyone else.”

“Yeah, well, everyone’s different. Most guys are okay with it, but looks like Lehmann is getting too stressed out with this,” Anastos replied.

“You’re thinking too much, Anastos,” Vasallo’s deep voice said back. “Things’ll be fine.”

“All right…” The handsome roommate sounded reluctant. “But if it gets too much, then—”

“— It won’t,” the other cut in.

Skye heard the soft hiss as the door opened and closed, and was about to come out of the bathroom when she paused.   What if Vasallo was still in the room?

“That guy’s probably going to regret it later,” she heard a muffled voice say on the other side. She sighed; it was Anastos’ voice.

She pushed the bathroom door open, and Anastos, who had been cleaning his closet, turned to look at her, wide-eyed.

“Lehmann, were you in there this whole time?” he asked, sounding a little flustered.

“Yeah.”

He dropped the shirt he was holding and walked up to her. “Did you… hear everything we were talking about?” He sounded cautious.

“Yeah, about that.” Skye paused, but he merely waited for her reaction. “I heard everything you said to Vasallo, and I just want to say thank you for trying to help. I appreciate it.” She smiled up at him.

Anastos gave her a peculiar look before shooting her a sheepish grin in response to her thanking him **.** This was the first time she had been so close to him, only inches away; she could feel his body radiating warmth. She inhaled deeply, and was hit with his fantastic scent: a mix of clean laundry and his natural, subtle musky smell, though not overwhelmingly so. She could’ve secretly grinned to herself had he not been right in front of her.  How had she never noticed how he smelled so amazing before?

“It’s not a big deal,” Anastos said, and she was a little taken aback to see his olive skin turn a little pink. “I did what any good roommate would do. Vasallo shouldn’t be doing what he’s doing… you know… bothering you, when you just got here.” His gaze held hers as he continued, “I can warn him off, if you’d like.”

“You already did that.”

“Well, I can do it again.”

“Thanks, but I think I can handle it myself,” she insisted, a little amused.

He grinned at her, and she couldn’t help but admire at how the smile lit up his face. He really was good-looking.

_He would’ve looked so much more approachable if he’d smiled when I first saw him._

“All right. I’ll let you try and solve it yourself then.”

Anastos walked back to his locker and shut it before leaving the room. Skye’s nose already missed him.

She wracked her brain, trying to remember the last time a man had smelled this good to her. Maybe Vasallo? He’d smelled quite pleasant, at least. His smell was far more welcoming to her than his stupid pranks. If given the choice, she would bottle Vasallo’s scent and ship him off across the world.

 

**2354 hours**

 

Skye laid on her bunk, staring up into the darkness, her heart beating slightly faster than usual. Vasallo’s snores filled the room, only occasionally punctuated by Anastos’ breathing when Vasallo inhaled.

She reached for the watch beside her pillow and pressed a button on its side. The screen glowed with the time and she set it back with a groan. She’d been trying to sleep for nearly an hour and a half. It didn’t help that, for some reason, Vasallo and Anastos had chosen that particular day to sleep earlier too.

There was a soft creak from Vasallo’s bunk as he turned over and Skye stilled, listening hard for any other noises save Anastos’ breathing, her heart pounding.

_If he fucking tries to pull anything while I’m sleeping…_

Then he began to snore again.

She relaxed into the mattress again with a sigh and closed her eyes.

_Creak._

Her eyes flew open again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first work on here! I know I'm new, but I'd still appreciate comments and thoughts on what you guys think despite the fact this is a fun self-indulgent lmao


	2. Chapter 2

**October 6, 2054**

**Day 4**

**0754 hours**

**DFAC**

 

A haggard Skye trumped over to where Aleksi and Sinclair sat with her tray of food. She plopped down beside Sinclair and reached for her yerba mate. They glanced at her.

“Damn. I’ll get you some coffee.” Sinclair stood and left the table before Skye could refuse.

When she set the mug down, she looked up to see Aleksi grin at her.

“Bed too soft for you?”

Skye opened her mouth to mention Vasallo’s pranks, but then closed her mouth again. Aleksi raised his brows at her.

_Not going to include him in this._

“Vasallo’s snores would wake anyone,” she half-lied, just as Sinclair sat back down beside her, sliding a mug of black coffee, a cup of milk and some sugar packets next to her yerba mate.

“Wasn’t sure how much you needed,” Sinclair said. “This’ll be the first time I’ve seen you drink coffee.”

Skye thanked him, who nodded, and pulled the coffee towards her and began stirring in some milk and sugar.

“You slept fine the day before. What went wrong last night?” Sinclair asked.

“Apparently, Vasallo’s snoring,” Aleksi chuckled. “Looks like Anastos has gotten used to it though. Never seen him look all dead like you today.” He nodded at someone behind her.

She shrugged and began to drink the coffee when Anastos sat beside her.

“Are my eyes deceiving me? Lehmann drinking coffee?” he asked, teasing.

Skye looked at him. “It’s just coffee. Big deal.”

“But it is a big deal. You only ever drink tea,” said Vasallo’s voice at the end of the table.

Skye’s heart stopped and she froze in the middle of spooning some food into her mouth. She put the spoon back down on the tray, appetite all but vanishing and purposefully keeping her gaze trained on her plate, all the while feeling Vasallo’s eyes on her.

 _Why is Vasallo here?_ She thought, her heart sinking. _Well, hopefully he won’t do anything funny at the table, with everyone here._

To say that the rest of the meal was awkward would’ve been an understatement, though to be fair, it might’ve just been Skye’s own perception and bias making things seem more overdramatic than they were in everyone else’s eyes.

She was surprised that Vasallo even attempted to strike up some light conversation with her, especially after _everything he’d done to her._ She responded casually enough, since she didn’t want to make it seem like such a big deal in front of the other men.

 

As they were leaving the DFAC, Anastos pulled her aside (he and Skye had been at the back of the group) and asked, “Lehmann, you aren’t sick, are you?”

She crinkled her brows. “No, why?”

“You said you couldn’t sleep last night. And you barely touched all the food you got just now. It’s a good thing we compost any food waste or you’d’ve been facing the wrath of the cooks.”

Skye gave him a small smile. “I’m okay, Anastos. Thanks. My eyes are just bigger than my stomach, that’s all.”

He studied her for a moment before nodding. “Okay.”

                 

Skye did her best to avoid Vasallo as much as possible after that. Whenever she saw him from afar, she would ignore him or deliberately look in the opposite direction: anything she could do that would prevent her from interacting with her roommate was fine.               

Unfortunately, the coffee’s effects didn’t last as long as Skye had hoped, and her exhaustion was back in full force shortly after physical training. She decided to return to her room for a nap, all the while hoping that Vasallo wouldn’t be there.

It seemed that he had gotten the message with her actively avoiding him (it would have been quite obvious after a few hours anyway), because shortly after lunch, she hadn’t seen him around, which was definitely a rare occurrence for the past few days. It usually wasn’t uncommon for Skye to find Vasallo in the gym or entertainment room when she happened to be there too.

When she did happen to lock gazes with him, she would usually catch him looking at her (and she would quickly turn away), but he never approached her.

 

**1014 hours**

**Room 73**

 

“Trinity,” Skye read the title on the front of Anastos’ book aloud.

He started a little in his chair, looking up. Then he smiled a little, shyly, placing the bookmark back between the pages.

“Yeah,” Anastos said. “Have you read it before?”

She shook her head, making her way over to the table in the middle of the room and sitting in the chair opposite him. “Haven’t heard of it either.”

“I’m about a third of the way through, and it hasn’t let me down so far.”

“What’s it about?” Skye asked. She felt emboldened to get to know him a little better after his show of concern earlier that morning.

“It’s a philosophical sci-fi; a pair of fraternal twins trapped in a coma travel to three different worlds that are based on the levels of consciousness.”

She was taken aback, and knew that her expression showed it when Anastos’ cheeks reddened a little. “That sounds… really deep,” she said, honestly.

“It’s an interesting concept, at least,” Anastos replied. “But like all novels, I’m just worried about the ending.”

Skye nodded. “That’s why I have to look at the ending before I buy a book. If I find out I don’t like the ending, I don’t buy it.”

Anastos raised a brow. “That’s boring, isn’t it?”

She laughed. “Well, if I don’t, and it has a crap ending, I’ll be disappointed. Waste of time and money.”    

He frowned a little. “Depends. You don’t necessarily need a happy ending for a book to be good.”

“That’s true.”

“Actually, my friend was the one who recommended this to me,” he said. “I usually wouldn’t touch anything like this. But since he’s lending me his book, I didn’t have to worry about wasting money like you.”

“Did your friend say if the ending was good or bad?”

Anastos shook his head. “I don’t like spoilers.” He paused a little. “If you’re interested, and the story is well written, I can tell you if it’s a happy ending. Then maybe you can check it out.”

Skye smiled at him. “Sounds good!”

He smiled back, and pleasant warmth seemed to spread throughout her.

~*~

Skye sat on her bunk in the dorm, mulling over the possibilities of her roommates being moles (they hadn’t come back to the room yet).

_It’s definitely not Vasallo. He doesn’t seem like the kind of man who’d hide his true intentions. Probably wouldn’t be much of a faker anyway. I like Anastos, but if I were to choose, it’d be him. He’s always so stoic._

She really appreciated that Anastos was much nicer than when she first met him in the dorm; compared to Vasallo's hyperactive (and stupid) childlike humor, Anastos’ relaxed, easygoing personality was a welcome reprieve for her.

 _He’s still a suspect though,_ she reminded herself, before shaking her head. _He can’t be the mole._ Neither of her roommates could be ruled out, but she had a strong feeling Vasallo would be completely out of the equation. Skye pursed her lips. It would’ve been so satisfying if he were the mole instead of Anastos…

She paused. Would she really want Vasallo to be the mole over Anastos? Sure, he was annoying, but he wasn’t malicious, and the more she considered it, Skye realized that having any of her friends and roommates be moles terrified her. Her gut told her that everyone she was friendly with were decent men. Sure, she’d only known them for a few days, but she trusted her instincts.                 

Skye took a swig from her water bottle before settling her back against the wall and began to type out a report.

 

**2227 hours**

**Medical Bay**

 

Skye was a little surprised to see that there were no nurses at the receptionist’s area. It was one of the doctors instead.

“Lehmann? What are you doing here? What’s wrong?” Dr. Singh asked, standing from the desk.

“Nothing’s wrong,” she replied with a sigh. “I’m just going to crash here for the night.”

He raised a brow at her. “I’m assuming you have a good reason for avoiding your room.”

“One of my roommates won’t leave me alone.” The doctor followed her out of the lobby to the beds and watched as she took off her shoes and socks and slung her jacket along the footboard. Luckily, since there had been no missions, the room was empty. Skye collapsed onto the bed and opened her eyes to see Dr. Singh frowning down at her.

“I won’t ask any questions since Colonel Velasquez has already told me the necessary details,” he said. “But only for tonight, all right, Lehmann?”

“Okay. Thanks, doc.”

“No need to thank me. It’s just this once. After that, you’ll need to handle that roommate on your own. I can’t play favorites.”

She nodded and the doctor left, closing the door and turning off the lights so that only the soft orange light from the receptionist’s area seeped from beneath the door.

She wrapped the blankets around her and felt her eyes become damp. She sniffled a little as the tears began to trickle out. Skye knew that things weren’t going as badly as they could’ve gone for her first few days. But the reality of her situation hadn’t seemed to sink in until now.

She was in another country, where she didn’t know anyone, and was just starting to get to know potential friends. She had to wait for three months before she could finally call old friends and family. One of her roommates was acting like a complete dick and playing annoying (albeit harmless) pranks on her and preventing her from sleeping, eating and settling down.

It also didn’t help that Skye still had her contract with the base to finish (though they were still waiting for their first mission). Ideally, she would’ve made some progress with the investigation by now, but it’d been nearly impossible to do anything with Vasallo being an annoying asshole. Fortunately, she had the full year to work on it, but when it came to uncovering the suspected mole on the base, the faster she could get the job done, the better.

Skye cried silently for a while, and letting it all out made her feel much better. Once she had finished drying her tears on the pillow, and her breathing had calmed down, she promptly fell asleep.

 

**Day 5**

**0712 hours**

 

Skye woke the next day feeling more well rested than before. She sighed and forced herself to get up from the bed, not looking forward to seeing Vasallo again. She made the bed, before putting on her jacket, shoes, and socks.

When she approached the receptionist area, she was surprised to see Dr. Singh sitting there. A nurse entered the bay with two steaming mugs of coffee. She smiled at Skye as she sat beside him at the desk and handed a mug to Dr. Singh.

“Good morning, Lehmann. The doctor told me you couldn’t sleep last night. Sleep better?”

Skye eyed the doctor, who glanced up from his paperwork and took a sip of coffee.

“Morning. Much better, thanks,” she smiled back at the nurse. She made her way to the door.

“Come back if you have anything else _serious_ troubling you, Lehmann,” Dr. Singh said as she opened the door.

“Okay.” Skye knew she’d either have to be injured or ill to have an excuse to sleep in the Medical Bay again.

 

**0752 hours**

**DFAC**

 

After hurrying back to her room to freshen up, Skye made her way to the DFAC for some food.

When she sat beside Anastos, Aleksi and Sinclair with her food, they asked why she was so late.

“You never came back to the dorm last night,” Anastos mentioned as soon as she sat down. “We were going to message you, but when we told the colonel, he said you checked in at the Med Bay. Everything okay?”

“Food poisoning?” Sinclair asked. Warmth spread through her at the concern in both of their voices. She was flattered that she’d only known them for a few days and they already sounded genuinely worried about her safety.

“No, actually,” said Skye. “It’s more personal than that.”

“You didn’t want to sleep with Vasallo in the same room,” Anastos said, shrewdly, off the look on her face.

She nodded; she was a little impressed he was able to grasp it so quickly.

The other men laugh at this. “What would Vasallo be doing to bother Lehmann?” Sinclair raised a brow.

She took a deep breath. “He hasn’t been leaving me alone,” she admitted.

They stared at her blankly.

“He kept pranking me. Stupid shit, I don’t know. He’s been doing it since my second day.”

Skye saw the three men exchange knowing looks at each other.

“I tried to tell him to lay it off, but he’s convinced everyone loves his stupid pranks,” Anastos grinned.

Sinclair shrugged and winked at Skye. “Well, I don’t think they’ve really bothered anyone that much until now.”

“Was that why you came in all zombie-like yesterday morning?” Aleksi asked.

Sinclair burst out laughing again. “It’s probably because you’re too stoic, Lehmann.”

“Not really. I’m an open book around you guys,” she retorted, helping herself to some food.

Aleksi leaned across the table. “Well, did you have much of a reaction when he was… _pranking_ you?”

She raised a brow at them. “Why would I be pissed off at him when he could beat me up?”

Sinclair chuckled and set his coffee mug down. “He won’t beat you up unless you really deserve it. He’s not that kind of man.”

She scoffed.

“Maybe you’re taking it a bit too seriously,” Aleksi said with an easy grin. “He did some ‘stupid shit’ to everyone when we all arrived at this base.”

“He told me that yesterday there were drills at four in the morning!” Skye burst out. “And there weren’t! He’s been so an— such a pain in the ass!”

Anastos placed a hand on Skye’s shoulder. “Maybe he’s just doing it to get a rise outta you.”

“So he’s like a dog waiting for food when you’re at the dining table?” she deadpanned, and the three men laughed.

Anastos’ hand slipped off her shoulder; he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I mean, if he’s really bothering you that much, I can bring it up with these two.” He nodded at Aleksi and Sinclair. “Since asking him to fuck off by myself didn’t work.”

Skye could’ve balked. “I’ll tell him myself.”

Sinclair smiled a little. “If you say so.”

 _If it were just the contract, things would be easier,_ she thought, finally starting to work on the food on her tray. _But I’ve got to investigate for the mole too. Haven’t gotten anywhere with that…_

She frowned. _Maybe things would be different if I were actually a man and not trying to pass as one. Guess it’s good that I happened to be the last sniper Regiment had to offer, though. The money’ll be worth it. Either way, hopefully Vasallo continues to leave me alone._

 

**Day 9**

 

Vasallo actually did end up leaving her alone for a few days, and it wasn’t until her ninth day at the base that he finally approached her and asked to talk to her.

“Why?” she asked warily; it took quite some effort to stay put and not bolt away. If she’d been intimidated by his height and size upon first meeting him, Skye was doubly so now.

“I’m… not going to prank you,” Vasallo said, and she could detect, for some reason, that he was telling the truth.

She nodded and followed him into their dorm, making sure she kept at a safe distance.

 

**2043 hours**

**Room 73**

                 

The door slid closed behind Skye as Vasallo turned to face her. “Lehmann, I just want to say…”

There was a lengthy pause. She stared at him, raising her eyebrows.

“I like you and I think you’re cute.”

Her eyes widened; she was impressed with how calm and confidently he had said it.

“What?”

Vasallo opened his mouth a little, looking flustered now. “You’re going to have me say it again?”

Skye just looked at him.

He took another breath. “IlikeyouandIthinkyou’recute,” he rushed, his face getting pink.

Skye’s chest tightened; she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. After being pranked by Vasallo, constantly annoyed, losing sleep and was so much more stressed than necessary, and he had the gall to say this to her? Her anger caught up all at once when she closed her open mouth and realized he was grinning sheepishly.

“I’ve got a vagina!” she blurted. _Wait. Why the hell did I say that? But if he just confessed, that means he’s gay, right?_

He blinked and then smiled at her again, and she was aware of a slight fluttering in her stomach. “You’re trans, right? That’s fine, since I’m pan!” His cheerful tone was not lost on her.

Skye blinked. “Good for you, but that’s not my point,” she deadpanned. As an afterthought, she added, with her voice rising, “You can’t do relationships in the military anyway, so that wouldn’t work… Apart from that, you _actually_ thought I’d reciprocate? After everything you did to me?” Her voice shook a little, and she could feel the sting of telltale tears gathering, and she didn’t know how, but she was able to hold them back for now. The sleepless nights and subsequent exhaustion, crying by herself in the shower so her roommates wouldn’t hear, the fear that took hold of her whenever he was nearby… her chest seemed ready to explode.

He looked taken aback. “I didn’t mean—”

“Any of those things you did to me? Yeah… You had _no_ other way of showing me that you liked me?!”

Vasallo cast his eyes down to the ground, and, despite his size, he looked like a young boy being scolded for the first time. “It was all in good fun…”

“No! You don’t get to say that! I haven’t been able to sleep well because of you! I had to check the bathroom for any pranks or traps—”

“I would never prank people when they’re most vulnerable,” Vasallo frowned.

Skye opened her mouth to retort but he continued. “Besides, Anastos uses the bathroom too. Wouldn’t make sense to drag him into it too.”

_“So why would you do this to me?”_

At this point, the large man looked as if he had shrunken a little. “I’m sorry, Lehmann,” he said, gently.

Skye took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, too, Vasallo,” she said, attempting to sound gentler but failing miserably; even she could hear the bitterness in her tone.

He got the hint. He turned and left the room.

Skye had to admit that even though she had no reason to, she felt a little guilty. She hadn’t really exploded at him, but she definitely hadn’t meant to burst out the way she did. He _liked_ her. She scoffed to herself. Well, at least Vasallo would leave her alone, for good.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope anyone who's reading this is enjoying it; comments and feedback are appreciated! c:


	3. Chapter 3

**October 12, 2054**

**Day 10**

 

Skye had to admit that it was weird not having to worry about Vasallo anymore. As usual, he was already out of the room when Skye woke the day after he confessed. When she went to breakfast with Anastos, Aleksi and Sinclair, he wasn’t at the DFAC. At the gym, she no longer found him working out near her. The night he had confessed, Skye had lain awake to see when Vasallo would arrive. Anastos was already asleep, but Vasallo didn’t arrive until eleven o’clock, which, she supposed, was another way of ensuring he wouldn’t come in while she was awake. After he finished getting ready for bed, Skye listened for the sound of his snores, but it never came. She fell asleep before she heard them.

**~*~**

He seemed to be doing his best to stay out of her way, since this continued for a few days. Skye didn’t really like the idea of her roommate avoiding her like she was infected with something. But it _was_ a little better than being pestered all the time. Perhaps if she’d rejected him gently, they would’ve been friends. Besides, she had been doing the same thing— avoiding him, that is— earlier.

Skye sighed. Well, she couldn’t do things over again.

 

**Day 12**

**0802 hours**

**DFAC**

 

“Ey! Lehmann!”

Skye turned to see Anastos jogging up to her.

“You wanna get food together? Then we can join Aleksi and Sinclair.”

She nodded.

After filling up their plates with food and getting their drinks, they made their way over to the table where Aleksi and Sinclair were sitting.

“I’ve noticed that Vasallo has been leaving you alone. Looks like whatever you did worked,” Anastos said as they neared the table.

“I suppose,” she said quietly, thinking back on Vasallo’s confession with a cringe.

He glanced over at her and seemed like he was about to say something, but ultimately decided against it.

They sat at the table, greeted Aleksi and Sinclair, and began to dig into their breakfast. The men were discussing politics: the implications of Libertas’ protection of Daehan Minguk.

 _Things would be easier without having to worry about politics,_ she thought to herself. At least, she was thankful that her job was nice and simple: take out a target and she got money. Sure, it wasn’t the most ‘morally sound’ work but the demand was there. Who was she to deny the market?

Skye had just finished eating her hash browns and started cutting up her whole wheat pancakes when Sinclair addressed her.

“So, Vasallo has been leaving you alone,” he commented, his gaze trained on a person sitting behind Skye a few tables away; she had a feeling she knew who it was.

“What happened?” Aleksi asked. “If Vasallo barely acknowledges you, then something pretty serious must’ve gone down. He’s so chill, he even says hi to people he doesn’t like.”

“He, ah…” Skye swallowed a mouthful of pancake and decided to leave out the bit where he confessed to liking her. “Asked if we could be friends and put everything he did behind us.”

“And you said no,” Sinclair rumbled.

“Obviously.”

“Looks like he took it pretty hard, because when I tried to talk to him about it, he wouldn’t answer me,” Anastos said. “You chew him out or something?”

She hesitated, thinking back to the confession. “Not really.” She paused. “Okay, maybe a little bit.”

Anastos grinned.

_How else was I supposed to get rid of him after he just confessed to me…?_

“I would’ve liked to see little Lehmann taking on big bad Vasallo,” Sinclair said with a chuckle.

“Shame.” Aleksi shoveled a spoonful of scrambled eggs into his mouth. “Getting along with roommates is important, but it’s always nicer when you become friends with them.”

Skye silently agreed, but she considered being on friendly terms with Anastos a huge improvement already. Maybe sometimes things weren’t meant to be. Perhaps that was the case with Vasallo **.**

As if reading her mind, Anastos said, quite cheerfully, “Well, I think we get along fine!”

Aleksi turned to stare at him, as if he had just realized Anastos was sitting there. Sinclair looked baffled for a moment before giving a deep-bellied chuckle. Skye grinned back at Anastos in response.

“I think that’s the first time I’ve seen you act like that, Anastos,” Aleksi finally deadpanned.

Anastos laughed. “I’ll be honest, since coming to the base, things have been going smoothly. And now I have another friend in the form of my new roommate. Coming here has been one of the best decisions of my life so far.”

She felt herself blush a little at his words.

“N’aww, we love you too, man,” said Aleksi. He and Sinclair stood up and walked around the table to their side.

“Let’s bring it in,” Sinclair rumbled.

Next thing she knew, Skye felt herself bear-hugged, and a little crushed, by three tall and fit Marines. Not that she was complaining.

She smiled. Perhaps things were going to be all right.

 

**Day 16**

 

Skye did her best to be polite to Vasallo whenever they happened to bump into each other. She would only receive brief responses in emotionless tones. Although she was pleased that Anastos had also occasionally engaged with her in polite conversation, Skye used a little more effort to be civil with Vasallo. Though she felt that her effort should have been noticeable, Vasallo still seemed to be avoiding her whenever he could (which was usually any time outside of their dorm).

 

**Day 23**

 

Two weeks after Vasallo had confessed to her, Skye felt she couldn’t take it anymore. Though she was pleased that he had stopped pranking her for good, she couldn’t help but be bothered that her interactions with him felt so awkward and forced (on Vasallo’s end, at least) compared to Anastos’.

She confronted him later that day in the dorm as soon as he came in, and luckily Anastos hadn’t come back from the gym yet.

“I don’t want things to be the way they are,” she admitted, looking up to see Vasallo’s eyes widening a little. “You avoiding me and things being awkward…”

“Rejection’s usually awkward, isn’t it?” Vasallo pointed out.

Skye shrug-nodded. “Yeah, but we’re going to be roommates for a year. The least we can do is try and be more civil, right?”

His countenance looked both happy and relieved; he shot her an easy grin. “All right. Sounds good, Lehmann.”

She couldn’t help but be struck, once again, at how boyish Vasallo looked when he smiled. She smiled back at him, and his gaze seemed to soften a little.

_Good thing he’s open-minded._

 

**2034 hours**

**Room 73**

 

“Lehmann, you like watching movies?” Vasallo asked her later that night after dinner. “You know there’s a theater in the entertainment building, right?” He seemed to have plucked up the courage to initiate conversations with her after she finally asked that they attempt to be friends.

“Yeah, I know,” said Skye. “Haven’t found the opportunity to check it out yet, though.”

He grinned. “What’ve you been doing? Apart from PT and some unit drills a few times a week, you should be free.”

 _My job,_ she thought to herself. Her heart seemed to sink again when she remembered the amount of progress she had achieved in discovering the mole at the base. She’d managed to rule out her roommates and the friends she’d made. It was much more difficult to gather intelligence on the other marines when she had little to no contact with them.

Instead, Skye shrugged at him. “What kinds of movies do they show?”

“All kinds,” said Vasallo. “Action, comedy, mystery… You have a preference?”

“Not really. Anything that’s not crap is good.”

He chuckled. “They have a schedule outside of the theater. Come on, I’ll show you.”

Skye followed him out of the dorm, keeping a reasonable enough distance behind him. She still couldn’t help but feel a little cowed by his size, but now that she was walking behind, she found her eyes wandering over his broad back and shoulders. Or the way the muscles in his taut ass—

She shook her head and attempted to clear her mind. With little success.

 

**Day 43**

 

Life was quite good. Skye was getting along with her roommates much better: all three of them sat next to each other during meal times (along with Aleksi and Sinclair, of course), and she found that the more time she spent talking with Vasallo and Anastos in their dorm, the more she realized she really enjoyed their conversations. They would occasionally joke and talk about what they did before joining the Marines, fitness techniques, and the dining facilities’ good food.

They’d even asked questions regarding Skye’s training in the co-ed Olympian Regiment, which had been public knowledge since she arrived; given that they’d only known an all-male environment while with the Marines, their curiosity made sense.

Shortly after dinner that day, Colonel Velasquez held a meeting in one of the conference rooms detailing Unit Three’s— which included Skye, her roommates, Aleksi, Sinclair, Frederickson and their staff sergeant Ryan, a lean man with ginger hair— first upcoming mission in a little over a week. They would be patrolling the borders with Unit Four for any escaping refugees and ensure they arrived safely. This, the Colonel said, was yet another reason why their unit was chosen to “look after Unit Four.” Unit Three was one of the few teams at the base that currently had a sniper.

Skye had felt her cheeks heat up when she felt nearly everyone’s eyes on her when the Colonel said “sniper.”

 

**1852 hours**

**DFAC**     

 

“Are you vegetarian?” Aleksi asked later that night as Skye sat beside him with a huge plate of salad, a glass of water, and a bowl of fruit.

“No.” She raised a brow at him. “You’ve seen me eat meat before.”

“Well, yeah, but you don't eat that much of it.”

“Too much meat is bad for you,” she replied, taking a sip of her water.

“True.” He grinned at her. “But too much of anything is bad for you. Are you going to hate me for loving bacon?”

“No, Aleksi.” Skye gave him an exasperated look at his teasing tone. “You eat pretty healthy though. You do love meat, but you do a pretty good job with your veg and fruit,” she said, pointing out the heap of steamed vegetables and fruit salad on his tray.

Aleksi looked down at his tray. “I _am_ pretty healthy, huh.”

She smiled a little and rolled her eyes, nodding.

 

**2032 hours**

**Room 73**

 

Skye lowered her head and sighed, relishing the feel of the warm water cascading down her body and through her hair. As she lathered the soap all over her body, her fingers started trailing down.

It’d been so long since she’d had sex, so long since she’d last been with her ex-boyfriend. Things were so much more relaxing now that Vasallo had stopped pranking her. Maybe she could…

Skye slipped her fingers further down…

~*~

She stepped out of the bathroom with a satisfied exhale, toweling her wet hair. Getting herself off was exactly what she needed to de-stress. Which would prove vital considering her first mission at the base was coming up.

 

**Day 50**

**0451 hours**

**Daehan Minguk Border**

 

A line of sweat ran down the side of Skye’s face despite the chilly weather. She inhaled deeply, keeping her eyes out for anything out of the ordinary.

Her muscles were starting to get sore from staying in the same position on the rooftop, but it wasn’t anything she wasn’t used to.

Suddenly…

_Shoop!_

One of the men from Unit Four collapsed, blood seeping from his leg. The rest of his team promptly pulled him into a nearby building as another bullet whizzed past.

 _“Fuck.”_ Sinclair swore in her earpiece.

“We’ve got a man down! Hang in there! You all right?” Skye heard Aleksi say in her ear.

Her heart felt as if it jumped a little and she began scanning for possible locations for the enemy sniper.

It didn’t take much effort for her to ignore the voices calling for medical help in her earpiece, when her eyes rested upon a fluttering piece of cloth over one of the rooftops. A flicker of movement, and Skye trained her gaze upon the area, holding her breath.

The enemy sniper had foolishly moved forward just as Unit Three— her unit— was about to cross the street. Her heart seemed to freeze: Vasallo was leading the unit; she could recognize his bulky build and his familiar walk.

Knowing that she had mere seconds to respond, Skye drew in a breath, lining up the shot with the sniper’s head… Once her heart had slowed down—

She fired just as the other sniper did. The two bullets streaked through the air, and she saw blood spurt out from behind the sniper’s head just as she heard grunting in her earpiece.

~*~

As Skye sprinted down the steps of the building with her rifle slung on her back, the overlapping voices of her unit echoing in her ear, a singular thought kept running through her head: why hadn’t the sniper shot to kill?

The rest of her unit was already gathered around the evac while a couple medics were carting Vasallo inside. She streaked over to the vehicle and stepped aside to let the medics come out again. She caught sight of her roommate with his shirt lifted (his body armor had been stripped) and thick reddening gauzy cloth covering his left side.

His pained gaze flickered down to her, and the doors closed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are picking up! Really hope the readers who are following this like where it's going. Comments/feedback would be appreciated, thanks! c:


	4. Chapter 4

**November 21, 2054**

**Day 50**

**0912 hours**

**Medical Bay**

 

“Is Vasallo okay?” Skye asked, as soon as she entered the hallway. Her throat seized up at the possibility that her sniping skills might’ve cost him his wellbeing **.** The rest of her unit had been forced to wait in the lounge while his wound was being dressed.

“He’s asking for you,” the nurse ahead of her said. “Please follow me.”

Passing by a few other injured marines only heightened Skye’s anxiety. When they reached Vasallo’s ward, Dr. Singh was standing beside her injured roommate.

“Lehmann.” The doctor gave her a knowing look and nodded before leaving with the nurse, partially closing the curtains around Vasallo’s bed.

It was odd and a little terrifying seeing the buff, tall Raze Vasallo looking… vulnerable and a little paler in the hospital bed. It didn’t fit. He was supposed to be an intimidating, powerful wall.

“Lehmann,” Vasallo smiled weakly at her, and her heart skipped in her chest.

Internally, she cursed her reaction to him.

She slowly sat down next to him. “How are you?” she asked, and was a little surprised at how gentle her tone had instinctively become.

He seemed to be a little surprised too, because his eyes widened a little before he replied, “Been better. But I’ll be fine.” There was a pause for a moment as he took a few breaths. “I wanted to thank you… for saving my life. When I get out of here, I need to repay you.”

“No, it’s fine,” she blurted, her face heating. “We’re in the same unit; I just did what anyone would do if a friendly were in danger.”

“I promise I won’t prank you anymore,” Vasallo smiled at her. “For good. But I _am_ going to repay you.”

“There’s no need,” Skye protested. She thought it ironic that their positions were swapped: before, he had been in a position of power while pranking her. Now, it was her, but instead of pranks, she’d saved Vasallo’s life.

“I… I should go. We can talk about this when you’re out of the Med Bay, okay?”

He looked like he was about to say something, but then shut his mouth and just gazed at her. Skye stood and wished him a speedy recovery before leaving.

She was getting increasingly uncomfortable that it seemed like she was starting to like the way he’d been acting recently. Skye had gotten used to his looks and, grudgingly admitted, appreciated his body type. Why was it that the longer she was near him, the more she found him and his presence attractive? All she’d wanted was to remain on friendly terms with most people at the base, and here she was, blushing and acting like Vasallo was her first ever crush.

When Skye approached the lounge, the others stood up.

“How does he look?” Aleksi asked.

“A lot better. He’ll be fine,” she reassured them, and she didn’t miss the relief that crossed all of their faces. “See you guys later.”

Skye felt Anastos’ gaze linger on her as she exited the Medical Bay.

 

**Day 53**

**0721 hours**

**Room 73**

 

“Lehmann. Lehmann.”

Skye woke to someone gently shaking her shoulder. She blinked a couple times and turned her head, glancing up. It was Vasallo.

She sat up with a gasp, so quickly, that had it not been for his own quick reflexes when he moved back, they would’ve bumped heads.

“Vasallo. You’re out already?”

He smiled a little. “I did the intensive route.”

She frowned at him, distinctly remembering the medics telling her that the natural recovery would take about a week, and a more intensive one would take at least three days. She took in his face: though he still looked rather exhausted and pale, he was infinitely better than the last time she saw him. “I thought the medics didn’t recommend that.”

His smile widened. “Thanks for worrying about me, but I can't choose the natural recovery in good conscience when I gotta repay you."

She rolled her eyes at him. “Well, I kinda have to worry about the roommate I saved from being sniped.  And you don't need to repay me for anything.”

Vasallo, who had been kneeling beside her bed, stood up to his full height. “Come on, Lehmann. Go get ready. We’ll get some food, and after that, I want to show you something.”

 

**0746 hours**

**DFAC**

                 

“What are you doing?” she asked when he took her tray from her and began scooping scrambled eggs, sausages and home-fried potatoes onto her plate.

“Getting you food.” He placed two muffins— one cranberry and one chocolate— beside her plate heaped with food.

“I don’t like cranberry muffins.”

“I’d eat it for you, but I’m on a special diet if I’m gonna keep up this physique.” He plucked the muffin off and placed it back on the plate where he’d gotten it, earning a look from the cook behind the counter. He got her a diverse mix of fruit, with quite a few more pieces of pineapple, and ladled it into a bowl.

“I don’t think I can finish that.”

“I’ll eat what you can’t finish.” He handed her the tray and a hot cup of earl grey tea after asking what she wanted to drink.

She sat at a table by herself and added some milk to the tea, watching Vasallo go through the selection again with his own tray. Aleksi and Sinclair, who had both been searching for her, walked over and sat on either side of her.

Aleksi took a long draw from his coffee. “You’re here before me for once,” he commented.

Before Skye could respond, Vasallo sat down opposite her with his food and tea, as well.

“Vasallo.” Aleksi pointed at him with his fork after slipping some bacon into his mouth. “You all right, man?”

“Much better, thanks,” Vasallo nodded.

Aleksi nodded as well. “Good.” There was a pause. Then, he joked, “You gonna stop antagonizing Lehmann?”

“Of course. I’m not complaining, but I don’t even know why he bothered saving me considering how much he hated my pranks.”

“Maybe because Lehmann isn’t a fucking dick like you,” Sinclair barked with a laugh.

The whole table chuckled.

“I’m right here, you know,” Skye deadpanned, and Vasallo grinned at her.

 

**Day 57**

**0953 hours**

**Gym - Weight Room**

 

“You haven’t done this machine before, have you?” Raze asked, with a raised eyebrow.

“I work out,” Skye huffed up at him. “But I don’t use weight machines a lot.”

“I can see that,” he said, nodding at her arms. “It’s a wonder you can carry that rifle around.”

“The Regiment focused on fitness in the field. Besides, I’m stronger than I look.”

He smiled a little. “I know.”

Raze helped adjust the seat according to her height before showing her a simple routine, including leg press, pull-downs and chest press. He kept track of her reps, and as soon as one muscle group felt tired he would have her move on to the next.

Skye was half-impressed and half-disappointed that he hadn’t decided to show her how to do it himself. She wouldn’t have minded staring at his muscles, but she supposed him not showing off was also kind of nice.

 

**1121 hours**

**Hallway**

                 

After the brief session, Skye decided to head back to the dorm for a quick shower before lunch, with Vasallo following her.

“Thanks for showing me how to use the weight machines,” Skye said, taking a swig from her water bottle and wiping a little sweat from her forehead. “I should probably do a little more weight training but the Regiment focused on thinking on your feet and dealing with high-stress situations.”

She waited for a response, because Vasallo usually had something to comment on. But nothing came. She heard some rustling behind her and a grunt.

“Vasallo?”

She turned to find him leaning against the wall, his hand on his abdomen. She hurried over to him just as he slid down the wall with another pained groan.

“Vasallo! What’s wrong?”

Skye leaned down in front of him.

“Just a little nauseous… dizzy,” Vasallo mumbled with a sigh.

“You sure? It’s the intensive treatment, isn’t it?” Without thinking, Skye had placed her hand over his shirt on his muscled abdomen; she could feel the bandage beneath it.

He locked gazes with her and she blushed, quickly moving her hand away.

“How often has this happened?” she asked him, doing her best to not show how flustered she was.

“Every now and then,” Vasallo said, discomfort flashing across his face.

Skye wrapped her hands around his arm and attempted to haul him up; he was far too heavy, but Vasallo managed to push off the wall and stand as she did so.

“We should get you back to the Medical Bay,” she said.

He shook his head and brushed her hands off of him. “No, I’m fine.”

“Vasallo…” she sighed.

“No, Lehmann.” His tone was firm. She looked into his blue-grey eyes and could see… maybe even sense how much pain he was in.

“Don’t be like this,” Skye said. “If you’re not feeling well, we need to get you—”

“Lehmann.” Vasallo rose to his full height, holding back a grimace. “It’s fine. Let’s just get back to the dorm.”

 _Maybe he doesn’t like how I keep seeing him like this…_ Skye thought to herself after finally acquiescing. _But it’s nothing to be ashamed of. He’s injured and still recovering._

She took a deep breath, following him back to their room.

 

**Day 82**

**1521 hours**

**Room 73**

 

“It’s movie night. You interested?”

“What are they playing?”

“Dunno. Something called _The Tides of Time._ ”

“How deep. Sounds like a boring romance.”

“Better than a horror, though, right?” He grinned at her, and she shuddered, nodding.

“What time is it?”

“Seven-thirty.”

“Sounds good. Anastos coming?” She was far more used to watching movies with both of her roommates. Or if she was watching with Vasallo and Anastos wasn’t available then either Aleksi or Sinclair joined them. Being alone with Vasallo in the theater unnerved her.

“Nah. He’s got a meeting with the colonel. So it’s just the two of us.”

“Oh.” _Shit._

 

**2049 hours**

**Theatre Room**

 

Skye couldn’t help but realize how hyper-aware she was of him. His scent was filling her nostrils, and being seated right next to him allowed her to practically feel the heat radiating off of him.

Her heart froze when she felt his fingers on her wrist, and then picked up speed when he trailed them up the length of her bare arm.

She turned to him, and as soon as she did, he locked gazes with her and promptly wrapped his large hands around her wrists and pulled her closer. Skye looked at Vasallo with wide eyes as he slowly brought her towards him, her knees brushing against his. She knew he was going slowly to check if she would resist, and she didn’t. Nor did she want to.

Her lips parted a little and she inhaled sharply; he was so close to her. His eyes flickered down to her mouth.

After a moment’s hesitation, he kissed her softly. His lips were a little firm, and very warm. And kissing him felt right. Felt good. Skye kissed Vasallo back, and almost as if that was all the encouragement he needed, he deepened the kiss. The warmth from his body seemed to encompass her, and he tasted good: like mint.

She lightly nipped at his lip before soothing the area with her tongue, and a soft groan rumbled in his throat, almost as if Vasallo was doing his best to keep quiet (they were in a theater, after all). He pulled away a little for air and released his hold on her wrists; she took advantage of the opportunity to rest a hand on one of his sculpted pectorals and slip the other into his soft, close-cropped hair when he kissed her again. A shiver ran through Skye when she felt his large, warm hands gently cup her face, his lips sucking at her mouth.

Finally, he drew back again, his hands slipping off of her. His breathing was a little heavier, but the edges of his lips seemed to be tilted up in a small smile. Vasallo was about to draw further back, but Skye enjoyed kissing him, and the close proximity, so before he could get too far, she moved with him.

She placed her hands upon his massive chest and kissed him again. He felt hot and hard beneath her fingers; his musculature was amazing, and the fact that his shirt clung to him like a second skin almost felt like she was touching his bare body.

Vasallo seemed surprised as she did this, because she caught his eyes widening a little before she closed her own. He quickly recovered; she felt his hands promptly pull her over the armrest and closer to him with another groan, so that she was straddling his hips, and the kiss became more heated than the first.

Their pelvises rubbed against each other, and the tingling between her legs was unmistakable, as well as a noticeable bulge pressed against her. She moaned softly.  

Skye lost count of how much time they spent making out in the back of the theater (ten minutes?); it was a good thing they had chosen seats at the very back of the room. When the movie ended and the credits began, her eyes shot open and she nearly leapt off of Vasallo and plopped back into her seat.

He looked at her with a half-amused, half-bemused countenance, but when the lights came on and the rest of the marines began filing out of the theater, he only grinned at her.

They were the last to leave the theater, and Skye couldn’t help but touch her moist lips, which felt a little swollen. It had been a while since she’d kissed someone.

“Your lips are all red,” he teased her.       

She opened her mouth to retort, with a hopefully witty response, but shut it again when she realized she didn’t care.

She walked over to where the restrooms outside of the theater were; no one would be coming out of them since most marines would have returned to their rooms. Skye turned to him and took a deep breath.

“So… what now? Us, I mean,” she said, realizing how awkward she sounded. It didn’t help now that she had kissed Vasallo, she was doubly sure that she had feelings for him.

“I still like you,” Vasallo admitted, sounding a little unsure. She looked up into his blue-grey eyes and saw fear. “I think we should date,” he added, rubbing the back of his head.

“Yeah, we should,” Skye agreed, and smiled a little at his surprised countenance. “But if we’re going to be doing this, then I should clarify I’m cis female,” she added, after some thought.

“You are?” He raised his brows. “I thought you were… trans?”

“Nope. But you still need to use male pronouns in public. Gotta stay undercover, you know?”

He nodded, grinning. “Works out no matter what, since I’m pan.”

“You’ve said that before.”

“I know.” He chuckled. His expression sobered. “Who else knows? You wouldn’t have been able to come here if there weren’t people at the base who know.”

“That’s classified. I’m still held to the same standards during PT though, so my disguise looks more fair.”

“So why’re you here then?” Vasallo asked.

“Classified,” she said in a singsong voice.

“Apart from being a hired merc, you’re also doing another job? Undercover?” Vasallo asked with a small smile.

She smiled back and shrugged.

“All right. I trust you.” He stepped closer and traced her cheekbone with a finger. “So you _do_ want this, right?” he asked, and Skye saw the uncertainty in his gaze. “Because if you don’t—”

“I do.” She placed a hand on his chest. “But we need to be careful.”

“We have all the time to be careful in our room,” Vasallo grinned. He placed a soft, lingering kiss on her lips, and she could’ve melted. He pulled back. “Let’s go.”                 

They started walking back to the dorm.

“So… does that mean I can start calling you ‘Skye’ now?” he asked.

“No! Why do you think that’s a good idea?” she raised her brows at him.

“You’re not going to call me by my first name?” He sounded more than a little putout by her tone.

“What if I let it slip in public?” she countered. They had stopped in the middle of the hallway.

“Guess you gotta be careful then… Skye,” Vasallo— Raze said, stepping closer and brushing his thumb against her bottom lip.

Skye crossed her arms and huffed up at him, but he promptly leaned down and kissed her. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and she sighed against his lips.

When he pulled away, he was smirking.

“You _will_ be saying my first name in private, right?” she asked.

“I’m offended you don’t think I have common sense,” Raze teased.

“Just making sure.” She smiled a little.

They started walking back to their dorm.

“I thought that being undercover meant you need to be careful you don’t reveal everything about yourself,” Raze said.

“You watch too many movies,” she retorted with a small smile. “If I’m more open I won’t draw too much attention. I’ll be here for a year, anyway. There’s no harm in getting to know people, and that way, everyone’s less likely to suspect I’m hiding anything, right?”

“Makes sense.” He nodded. “So…” He paused, and then looked at her inquiringly. “Does that mean you can do three pull ups then? Otherwise, how would you be able to pass the physical test?”

“If you hauled a huge-ass sniper rifle around like me, your arms would be stronger than your legs too,” she replied. “I’m lucky I pretty much just make the minimum qualifications.”

Skye was pleased when she saw that Raze looked a little impressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two have finally gotten together, yay! c: Hope anyone who's reading this is enjoying it!


	5. Chapter 5

**December 23, 2054**

**Day 82**

**2150 hours**

**Room 73**

 

“So now that things have been cleared up, I guess I can finally tell you that I love the way you smell,” Raze admitted.

“Really?” She blinked up at him, more than a little startled.

“Yeah.” He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him. “I don’t know if it’s the products you use or something.”

“All my bath products are subtly scented,” Skye pointed out.

“Guess that means I like your natural scent, then,” he said, nuzzling against her neck. Heat spread throughout her.

“Or maybe you like the scent that’s half-natural and half-bath product?”

“Maybe.” He pressed his lips against her skin. “You’re thinking about this too much.”

 

**Day 89**

**1521 hours**

 

“What’s that?” Skye asked, sitting next to him on the bunk with her box.

“Care package for the month.” Raze held up two pairs of cozy-looking socks and a number of hygiene items, including a shoe deodorant spray. “Don’t you have one?”

She felt her heart sink a little, and a combination of loneliness and homesickness seemed to settle in the pit of her stomach. “Not a real one.”

His expression sobered and comprehension dawned on his face. “Oh, yeah.” He placed the goods back in the box and wrapped his strong muscled arms around her. Skye laid her cheek on his muscled chest, relishing the physical contact and instinctively inhaled in his warm, male scent.

“Did you know some people get porn in their care packages?” Raze asked with an amused grin when he pulled away.

She raised a brow. “Now I do.”

“Open yours up,” he urged. “I wanna see what’s inside.”

“You sound like a little kid looking forward to his Christmas presents,” Skye smiled. “Besides, they’re all from my superiors, remember?”

He shrugged his big shoulders. “Yeah, but a guy can’t be curious?”

She tentatively opened it; there was a piece of paper on top of items wrapped in brown paper that read: _“Use these wisely! Love Mom, Dad, and Gabe”_

Skye blinked. _They even put in my brother’s name…_

Raze glanced at her expression. “This your first package?”

She nodded. “The previous two months’ were just personally given to me, and were pretty much just necessities.” She put the note beside her and tore open the brown paper, revealing relatively normal objects: lip balm, lotion, sunscreen, deodorant, two pairs of socks, a new comb. The only thing that seemed a little out of place was a small black flashlight, which Skye knew doubled as a taser for self-defense. Raze didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.

“You’re at least allowed to call your family, aren’t you?” he asked.

“Limit of four on a secure line for the year. I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t call anyone back home.”

Raze rubbed his thumb along the length of her forearm, and though it tickled a bit, it was somewhat comforting. She smiled up at him and kissed his cheek. “Thanks.”

Skye lay down on the bunk and stretched. When she turned her head a little to the side, she noticed a bundle of soft yarn and a needle behind Raze.

“Shit.” He snatched up the yarn and needle and shoved it into his box.

She promptly sat back up and grinned. “What’s that?”

“Nothing.”

“Is that a knitting needle?”

Raze slowly turned to her. “Yeah,” he admitted, quietly, his countenance looking like a boy who’d been caught stealing from the cookie jar. Skye’s grin widened.

“I never knew you knitted."

“It calms me down. Useful when you’re out in the field, you know.”

She nodded. “Do you have more?”

He gazed into her eyes, as if gauging that her response was genuinely curious. “It’s in my closet.”

He led her over to a box he had hidden on one of the shelves, and opened it to show her a pair of socks and a long, thick scarf he had knitted, along with some other bundles of different-colored yarn.

“Good thing it doesn’t take too much space, huh?” Skye looked up at him. “Who do you knit it for?”

“Myself. I know how things fit me, and I’m not gonna give it to anyone here.”

“You can knit one for me!” Skye grinned cheekily.

He brightened. “Really?”

“Yeah, some socks and gloves, would be nice. It can get pretty cold around here.”

Raze grinned again. “I’ll need to measure how big your hands are, but I’ll give it to you when I’m done.” He leaned forward and kissed her.

 

**1640 hours**

**Daehan Minguk Base Head Office**

 

“I miss you guys,” Skye said softly, into the receiver. “I’m not going to see you until at least the end of the year.”

“Skye, Mom and Dad miss you too,” her mother said, her voice tender.

“Keep yourself safe. When you come back, you can tell us all about it,” Skye heard her father say, and she laughed. Her father knew full well she couldn’t tell them about anything, and they knew it.  

“How’s Gabe doing?”

“He’s at work, but he’s fine. He doesn’t say it, but he really misses you,” said her mother.

“Yeah, at least I voice it every single time.” Skye could practically hear her father grinning.

She sighed and smiled a little. “I’ll call you back in a few months.”

~*~

Being in a (secret) relationship with Raze felt strange to Skye. At times, she would marvel at how warm, gentle and positive he was. Why he hadn’t really showcased this side of himself when they first met, she didn’t know. But then again, if circumstances had been different, perhaps they wouldn’t have been together then.

Her heart practically melted a little each time Raze gently kissed or caressed her. He was such a big and tall, intimidating man, but he treated her with such tenderness. Skye felt like this might’ve amplified her feelings for him, and her appreciation for this ensured that she also “treated him like a porcelain doll,” so Raze put it. Not that he was complaining, but it had been something he’d noted once they’d begun a relationship together.

She would never admit it, or bring it up with him until, hopefully, they actually had sex, but the gentle, almost reverent way he treated her gave her some erotic lovemaking dreams. Skye couldn’t explain why, but there had always been something very arousing about powerfully built men who were complete teddy bears inside.

 

**Day 97**

**Room 73**

There was a beep and a hiss behind her, and when Skye turned, she was swept up by Raze. She let out a startled squeak, which was promptly silenced when he kissed her. When he pulled away, her lips were swollen and her cheeks were pink. He still held her in his arms, though, with her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands on his shoulders.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to do that,” she finally said, after she was able to catch her breath.

“Why not? Anastos isn’t here. And he’s not in the bathroom, either, or the light would’ve been green.” Raze nodded at the little red light on the bathroom door panel.

“What if he’d been behind you?” Skye asked, as he began walking to her bunk.    

“I’ll be honest, I don’t think Anastos would give a damn,” he said, his tone light, and then unceremoniously dumped her on the mattress.

“Oof!” She gave him as thoroughly unimpressed of a look she could as she bounced.

Raze grinned and climbed on top of her.

“It’s always better to be safe th—” Skye lost her train of thought when he kissed her again.

He pulled back and raised his brows, prompting her to continue, and then leaned down to gently nip and suck at her neck. “Mmhm?”

“Umm… Mm…” It took her a while to continue. “I’m serious, Raze.”

Clearly, he wasn’t going to let up. Skye placed her hands on his chest and gently pushed him so she could be on top instead. He let himself roll onto the other side of the bed (which was luckily just big enough for the both of them), with her straddling him.

He looked rather surprised, but when she moved forward to kiss him, he responded enthusiastically, and she could feel the evidence of his arousal pressed against her.

She broke away from the kiss and raised a brow at him. “Really?”

Raze blushed. “Sorry. Can’t help it.”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t flattered,” Skye smiled. He grinned back, and they kissed again.

She slipped a hand beneath his shirt, running her fingers over the hard ridges of his abdomen.

He groaned softly against her mouth and pulled her closer. She gasped, a little startled, her eyes widening as she was pressed flush against his hot, muscular frame, her hand wedged between them. Ignoring his manhood was much easier than she thought. Raze pulled back slightly, their breaths mingling.

Skye trailed her fingers to his side, feeling the knotted skin of his healed wound. He placed his large hand over hers, warm, calloused and comforting. She glanced down, fascinated by how dark his skin seemed to look next to her sun-kissed hand. She felt his finger under her chin, tilting her face up to look at him.

“We got off to a rough start, didn’t we?” Skye asked. She wasn’t too sure where that came from.

Raze blinked. “Huh?”

“Well, you pranking me and everything. And look where we are now.”

“Oh. Yeah.” He grinned, rather guiltily, at her. “You know, when you first rejected me, I did not expect us to be in a relationship in the future.”

She rolled her eyes and smiled. “You didn’t start treating me normally until I saved your _life_. That’s what brought us together.”

“Good thing you saved my life then,” he said, taking up her small hands in his warm, rough ones.

“I was lucky,” she said. Which was true, and it gnawed at her insides. Most snipers wouldn’t hesitate to take a head shot. _So why hadn’t he shot to—?_

“Thank you for saving me,” Raze murmured, snapping Skye’s attention back to him. His gaze was gentle. “If you hadn’t, we might not’ve been together now.”

“I can’t let anyone from my unit die while I’m sniper,” she chided, smiling.

He grinned again. “I know you wouldn’t.”

“Are you saying that I had to save your life to get with you?” she teased.

He laughed. “No. But it definitely made me not want to prank you again. And I guess it gave me a little more confidence to try and start over with you.” Raze leaned forward a little, his forehead pressed against hers, and kissed her nose.

“So…” Skye began, gazing at him from beneath her lashes. “Take it slow?”

“Take it slow,” he confirmed with another soft kiss on her mouth. When he pulled away, he grinned at her again. “Or as slow as we can.” He winked, and she huffed at him, smiling.

“I’m pretty impressed with how… naturally you’re speaking to me,” Skye admitted, looking pointedly at the bulge in his pants.

He grinned sheepishly, and stood, rather awkwardly. “I’m gonna take a shower.”

“Sure you are!” she laughed as he hurried into the bathroom.

~*~

Later that night, the two lay in Skye’s bed talking about which Libertas states they were born and raised in.

“Is this the first job where you’ve been away from home?”

“No. But it’s the first where I’ve been away for so long, and in another country,” Skye admitted softly.  She sighed. “I miss them.”

She closed her eyes when she felt Raze’s strong arms wrap around her, pulling her towards his warm, muscled chest.

“I understand; I miss home too.  But it gets better the longer you’re here.” He buried his face into her neck and inhaled, pressing a kiss to the skin. “

Skye didn’t really want to tell him that sometimes she felt a pang of loneliness in her lower abdomen. Or somewhere around that area. He was already comforting her, and dwelling on the negatives wouldn’t make things better. She turned around in his arms and kissed Raze softly.

“What matters is, even though my family and friends from home aren’t here with me, I have you and everyone else.”

Raze looked at her expectantly.                  

“If I didn’t end up making friends with you, Anastos, Aleksi and Sinclair, I wouldn’t know what to do.”

He raised a brow. “Friends? I thought we were in a relationship…” he sighed dramatically.       

Skye exhaled and giggled a little, rolling her eyes. She decided to not respond and only kiss him. He responded back enthusiastically, before pulling away to murmur, “I know that you miss your family and friends, but I’m happy you came to this base instead of any of the others Libertas was occupying around the world. I’m glad we’re roommates and that I was able to finally, you know… start a relationship with you.”

Raze blushed, and she smiled, moving her hand so it rested on his chest. His lips twitched into an amused smirk. “You _really_ like touching me, don’t you.”

Her face heated a little, but Skye didn’t remove her hand and instead proceeded to massage his pectorals with both hands. “It’s a compliment,” she said. She couldn’t help it if she found him and his body attractive; she felt she was a naturally touchy and affectionate person, particularly towards anyone she was in a relationship with. “Besides, you touch me a lot, too.”

He grinned. “Well, I have to.” His hands slipped down to cup her ass. He squeezed before sliding them up around her waist and hugging her closer to him. “It’d be a waste not to.” His grin faded and his gaze locked with hers.

She lowered her eyes. “What?”

“I love your eyes, Skye,” said Raze, a little reverently. “They’re the most beautiful green I’ve seen.” He reached up and brushed his thumb against her lashes.

She blushed and grinned at him. “Hey, that rhymes!”

He raised a brow again and cupped her face, pressing their foreheads together. “Were you even listening to what I was saying?”

“Yeah, thank you.” Skye squeezed his cheeks together so his lips puckered before smoothing her fingers over his dark brows. “Your eyes are gorgeous too.” They really were: a deep dark blue-grey.

He pulled back, his countenance cocky. “I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on my eyes.”

She scrunched her nose playfully and poked his cheek. “Okay, you just ruined the moment.” She slipped out of his grasp to take a swig from her water bottle.

“Maybe.” Raze stood from the bed and walked over. He waited until she set the bottle back down on the table before lifting her into his arms again and making her squeal. “But I always know how to make it romantic again.”

Skye smiled and rolled her eyes at him. “Sure, babe.” But she kissed him again nonetheless.

 

A month after their first kiss, Raze had confirmed with Skye (after she had popped the question) that he was enjoying her company as much as she was enjoying his, and both were serious about the relationship that was happening. Since it had been a while since Skye’s last boyfriend, and much longer since Raze had a girlfriend, they took things as slowly as they could, but at a natural pace for them. The sexual tension sizzling between the two could only prevent them from keeping things at kisses and hugs for so long (and, in Skye’s case, touching Raze’s chest).

The next step was second base, which led to third within a couple weeks (after having obtained clean tests, of course; not that Skye didn’t trust Raze to be clean given how much he seemed to enjoy being with other men and women in the past). Luckily, the couple’s vaccinations had been covered, as a result of their previous relationships. The two discussed their preferences and reveled in the touch and taste of one another.

 

**Day 126**

 

“I’m sure my actions speak for themselves, but it’s obvious I want to have sex with you, right?” Raze admitted. “Have you thought about it?”

Of course she had. How could she not? They’d already gotten to third base, and her relationship with him, as well as attraction to him, had deepened. Skye chose that moment to finally admit the erotic dreams she had of him, with the latter being particularly pleased and flattered and also mentioning his own daydreams and fantasies he had of the petite sniper.

The excitement of being with one another made the waiting game even more sensual when they realized they might have been going a little too fast and resolved to slow down a little more. Birth control was confirmed: Raze had a microchip that temporarily rendered him sterile, on the off-chance he happened to sleep with women, and Skye had been on birth control upon arriving at the base to help regulate her periods.

**Day 158**

 

When the door slid closed behind them, Skye felt herself being turned around, one of Raze’s arms gently wrapping around her waist, and his large hand tangling in her hair, gently tugging so her head tilted up to his. His warm lips promptly sucked hers into his mouth, and she sighed, pressing her body into his.

He pulled back, his breathing a little quicker, leaning down to press kisses against her neck.

“I can’t wait to hear you moaning my name when I’m inside of you,” he whispered, sending shivers down her spine.

“So you won’t moan my name?” she asked teasingly, raising a brow and smiling at him.

“I didn’t say that.”

Soon, there was a pile of clothes at their feet and they embraced one another, kissing and sucking and licking.

Their kiss was becoming more heated when she felt his hands around her hips. He quickly lifted her with ease, their warm naked bodies rubbing against each other. Her soft breasts stroked his powerful abdomen and chest, and both of their nipples pebbled. It was a silent invitation to wrap her legs around his waist, which she did.

Skye slipped her hands into his short, soft hair, drawing back for a few breaths before kissing along his jaw. She felt Raze’s hands move down to cup her butt, squeezing gently.

He groaned when she moved forward to gently rub against his growing erection, which was pressed against her lower belly. He captured her lips in another searing kiss.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's building up, peeps! :D


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are having fun with this fluffy story c:

**March 9, 2055**

**Day 158**

 

Raze pulled away, breathing heavily. “I love your ass,” he breathed into her ear, pinching one of her butt cheeks.

Skye squeaked and ran her hands from his hair to his lower back, but the position (being held), and her shorter arms, given her size, wouldn’t be able to let her squeeze his ass back.

“I’d say the same, but I can’t reach,” she murmured, placing her hands on his shoulders instead.

Raze chuckled and kissed her again, walking slowly until Skye felt her back gently press against the wall.

Holding her in place with one of his large hands, he used the fingers of his other to gently rub her clit and slip between her folds while sucking at her breasts. She tightened her grip on his broad shoulders and leaned her head against the wall, panting.

It didn’t take long for her to be slick with arousal.            

Then, Skye felt him shift a little and looked down to see his thick, straining manhood press against her folds.

“I… wait…” she whispered.

He froze.

“It’s been a while.”

Raze grinned comfortingly. “It’s been a while for me too,” he admitted.

Skye gave him a disbelieving look and he chuckled.

“It’s been a long while since I’ve been with a woman.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine, Raze,” she said.

He pressed his lips to hers softly. “Let’s find out.” He slowly and carefully lowered her onto him and her breath hitched at the feeling of being stretched. It seemed to take forever, but when Raze finally bottomed out with a deep groan, he stopped for a moment.

The both of them were already panting a little, and neither of them had even moved yet.

Skye’s heart seemed to swell. Tall, muscular and somewhat intimidating Raze was holding and caressing her body so gently, and she loved it. She loved how he knew his strength and size in comparison to hers, and was thoughtful of her comfort.

She trembled against him and whimpered a little, taking a deep breath. His size and girth made it feel as if it was a little more difficult to breathe; he completely filled her and it felt so good. The only other man she’d been with had been her ex-boyfriend, who’d been about the same length as Raze, but definitely not as thick.

He leaned his forehead against hers and began to move. Slowly and gently, he began to raise and lower her onto his manhood. Soft, breathy gasps and moans escaped her lips each time he hit the end of her. He felt powerful, so good…

Skye’s toes curled; she dug her fingertips into the muscles of his broad back, moving herself over him. She squeezed herself around him, feeling one of his fingers gently brushing her clit in time with each thrust.

They moved together, more frenzied and desperate. The waves were building at her core until—

She climaxed with a cry, her inner muscles clenching around him. Raze grunted shortly after, spurting inside of her. She could feel liquid trickling off of the bottom of her thighs and hear it dripping onto the ground.

They stayed in their position against the wall for a moment, panting. He softened before slowly walking over to the bunk. Raze collapsed onto it with him still inside of her so that the bottom half of her torso was pressed against the towels they had placed on the bed sheets, using his elbows to keep himself above her.

For several moments, only heavy breathing could be heard in the dorm. Skye enjoyed feeling his big and warm, muscled body pressed against hers, even if he was squishing her a bit. She felt safe being enveloped by him.

Raze locked gazes with her and she felt him harden inside of her again. He seemed to be waiting for her to protest but all she did was wrap her arms around his neck and pull him down for a kiss.

He sucked and nibbled her lips eagerly as Skye ran her fingers through his fluffy, close-cropped hair; he began to rock his hips and start up the rhythm again. She pulled away for some air, unable to prevent the soft gasps that escaped her with each smooth movement, and he promptly trailed his mouth to her neck, sucking and nibbling.

Skye arched off the bed and moaned. His large hands held her lower back and thigh in a firm, gentle grip as he thrust deep, with her matching his movements and squeezing her inner muscles. Their pelvises pressed intimately each time his hot, hard length completely filled her. Each thrust took her breath away, with Raze rubbing against her exposed clit each time; she could feel her crest building...

She was vaguely aware of him panting above her, and when she felt his lips surround her nipple and suck lightly, she gripped the sheets in her hands and cried out, feeling her inner muscles tighten around him as she climaxed for a second time. Skye felt him swell inside of her and he came with a deep groan, pulling out and collapsing beside her on the bed.

In between his pants, she heard Raze mutter, _“Damn.”_ She smiled a little, pleased that he was equally as satisfied.

She began to drift off in a doze when she felt the weight and heat beside her move away. There was shuffling about the dorm: the towels beneath her were pulled away and at one point she felt something warm and damp clean up the wetness between her legs. Then the heat returned and a pair of muscular arms wrapped around her, pulling her towards a solid chest.

Skye opened her eyes to see Raze cuddling against her. She shifted uncomfortably.

“Raze.”

“Hmm?” He opened his eyes.

“I… don’t want to get crushed. You might roll on top of me.”

He gave her a thoroughly unimpressed look. “I have never not cuddled after sex.” He paused. “Besides, I don’t want to leave the bed.” He tightened his grip around Skye.

She stared at him until he grinned a little.

Raze moved them a little so that he was lying flat on his back and there was space beside him near the wall. “The least you can do is sleep beside me,” he said, patting the space next to him.

She eyed the spot and eventually gave in.

Skye rested her cheek upon his hard chest and slung one of her arms across his powerful abdomen, tangling her legs in his hairy ones. She felt his big warm hand slide down to her side and his fingers press into her hip, gently massaging her skin; her eyes instinctively shut. The position was surprisingly comfortable, and she soon found herself drifting off to sleep.

 

When she woke, she was no longer sleeping on Raze’s chest, but her legs were still intertwined with his. The blanket had been strategically placed in a way that it covered his pelvis and thighs, as well as an area from her chest to her thighs. Skye supposed he had brought it over them after she’d dozed off. Considering that Anastos could’ve walked in any minute, she appreciated that he had covered them up. They were still lucky that he hadn’t wandered in, yet… and been scarred in the process.

Skye observed him sleeping for a moment, noting how peaceful he looked as he slept, his chest rising and falling. She resisted the urge to caress his jawline. A smile pulled at her lips; she’d never realized how much she missed sleeping next to a man: the warmth, the feel of his strong body against hers, feeling safe and protected beside him…

She carefully untangled her legs from his in an attempt to be more comfortable, not wanting to wake him. She placed her cheek on his hard chest and closed her eyes again with a sigh, feeling far too relaxed and satisfied to get out of bed. She jumped a little when she felt Raze’s hand cup one of her breasts and brush the nipple with his finger; she opened her eyes again to see him smiling at her.

Skye smiled back before stretching. “What time is it?” she asked. His hand slipped off of her. The slight soreness between her legs made her feel content; it’d been a little over a year since she’d last had sex, and she didn’t quite remember having this much sexual chemistry with her previous boyfriend.

“Almost six. We should be heading down to dinner soon.”

She nodded and started to get up when she felt Raze pull her towards him, settling her on top of him so she was straddling his hips. She shot him a knowing smile when she felt his thick manhood twitch against her.

He grinned back and pulled her down for a kiss, his large, rough hands gently cupping her ass and pressing her still-sensitive clit up against his length.

Skye gasped and her eyes widened a little at the sensation, Raze planting a kiss at the edge of her mouth. She gently licked and nibbled at his lips. He stroked her tongue with his and before he could continue, she placed her hands on his chest and pushed lightly, teasingly. He didn’t budge.

“What, I’m not a good enough kisser for you?” Raze pretended to look affronted, moving his hands to massage her breasts and grinding against her so that her clit kept brushing against the tip of his manhood.

“Ah!” A wash of pleasure spread throughout her body, and, noticing his pleased, if not wicked-looking grin, held herself above him and pulled away before he could do anything else. “As tempted as I am to continue this, we should wash up and make sure we look decent before Anastos barges in,” said Skye.

“Mm.” He pouted a little. “Good point.”

She helped him clean up the dorm, ensuring that their commingled fluids were gone from the floor, and placed the towels they had used into the washing machine. After using the toilet, they hopped into the shower together (though nothing sexy happened) and went down to dinner.

 

**DFAC**

**1830 hours**

 

“So, who’s the lucky guy?” Lance asked.

Skye froze, and Raze, who was sitting beside her, lightly nudged her foot with his, no doubt to “chill.”

It turned out that Lance had been asking Raze instead of Skye because Raze’s only response was to grin and say he didn’t kiss and tell. She wasn’t even sure how Lance was able to notice a difference in Raze at all; perhaps it was a guy thing. Or they just knew each other too well.

 

**Room 73**

**2124 hours**

 

Later that night, Skye and Raze laid on her bunk, her head on his chest while he played with her short golden hair.

Skye had noticed that his confidence seemed to skyrocket after they had agreed to date once the kiss had happened in the movie theater, and she pointed this out to him. Not that she was complaining, she said, since she found it pretty amusing.

“It had already skyrocketed during the movie when you kissed me back,” Raze laughed. His expression quickly sobered, and he furrowed his brows. “But you didn’t seem to have a really favorable first impression of me, huh?”

“When I first met you, I was really intimidated,” she admitted. “But I guess a part of me has always been attracted to you. It’s just that your height and size made me more scared. It wasn’t until you started treating me a little more ‘normally’ once you got out of the Med Bay that I really started falling for you, I guess.” She blushed.

He tapped her nose. “Yeah, I get that. It’s happened before, and it made me feel pretty shitty, particularly if people are smaller like you. So I do my best to be more approachable and smile, you know.” Raze grazed his finger against her cheek. “I don’t want to scare anyone— especially you.”

“Well, I feel safer and more comfortable around you now that I’ve gotten to know you a bit better.”

“Good.” He smiled, smug. “I’d like to think people asked me out because I’m hot, fit, _and_ approachable.”

She could’ve rolled her eyes at him. “Well, if I compare you with Anastos, that’s not saying much.” She giggled when he relaxed his face into a stoic expression: it was a fairly accurate impression of Connor. “Are you bragging about all the relationships you’ve had?” Skye raised a brow at him.

Raze laughed in response. “I’ve only had a couple serious relationships. And they were the ones who asked me out. Everyone else I’d been with wasn’t as serious, you know. I guess I didn’t really know how to approach you as nicely as I could’ve.”

“So you were spoiled by these past admirers?” she teased.

He rounded on her and tickled her; she squealed with laughter. “If you put it that way, yeah,” he said once he’d stopped. “You’re the only one who made me work for it.”

“Ah, and that’s why I’m so special!”

“That you are.”

Skye got up and playfully pushed at him (he didn’t budge). “Okay, get back to your bunk. We can’t have Anastos coming in and seeing anything that’ll scar him.”

“You’re not going to give me a kiss?” Raze asked, looking as forlorn as a lost puppy.

She sighed, smiling, leaning over to give him a chaste kiss on the lips. But he ended up wrapping his arms around her and deepening it. Skye pulled away reluctantly.

“Good night.”

“Good night, babe.”

 

**Day 179**

**2028 hours**

**Barcode**

 

The marines groaned as Skye once again sank the remaining balls into the pockets of the pool table. She laid the cue stick against the table and stretched, grinning.

“That’s what you guys get for betting against a sniper. Twice!” she chirped cheerfully, extending her hand out and wiggling her fingers.

They grumbled at her, slapping bills into her hand before shuffling off to the bar.

Skye just barely resisted from skipping over to the bar herself to where Aleksi, Sinclair and Raze were; Aleksi and Sinclair were already knocking back pints of beer.

“Drinks on me. I hit the jackpot tonight.” She slid a few bills onto the bar and gave Raze a knowing look at his glass of water.

He smiled at her. “Appreciate it, but I’ll stick with water.”

She was so tempted to tease him, but she had to keep up her cover with Aleksi and Sinclair too.

“Come on, Vasallo. A light beer, at least,” she encouraged, his last name feeling foreign on her tongue. “It’s not like you drink as much as Aleksi and Sinclair anyway.”

“That sounded like an insult, but I’m flattered,” Aleksi snickered. He and Sinclair both ordered whiskey on the rocks, and the bartender looked expectantly at Raze.

He finally sighed and ordered a pale lager.

“Yeah,” Skye laughed, opting for a rum and coke herself. Once the bartender arrived with the drinks, she passed them out. “Cheers!” She clinked glasses with everyone before promptly downing her own in one gulp, shocking all the men around her.

~*~

“Lehmann, slow down.”

Aleksi and Sinclair had left to watch the television on the other side of the bar a while ago, leaving Raze to watch as Skye gradually became more intoxicated.

Skye felt Raze gently nudge her wrist after she had downed another drink. She turned to him and grinned; her cheeks felt hot and she was giddy with energy and excitement.

“You’ve had two shots and two other drinks already,” he admonished firmly. “You keep it up, it’ll be hard for you to keep up your cover.”

“Pfft!” She scoffed at him. “My tolerance is pretty good.”

“I mean, I have no idea where you put all those drinks in your tiny body, but after the one you just finished, you’re not having any more.” Raze looked her over.

Skye slung her arm around his wide shoulder and giggled. She ran a finger down his jawline. “Have I told you how sexy you look with scruff?” she said loudly.

He promptly placed his hand over her mouth, frowning a little. “Damn, you even sound more feminine when drunk,” he muttered.

She leaned against his shoulder and smiled up at him against his hand. Raze probably noticed her eyes crinkle because he smiled back down at her.

“You’re really cute like this, babe, but I think we should get back to the base.” He tapped her nose and she frowned at him.

“What time is it?”

“Ten.”

Skye huffed. “Let’s stay longer. It’s not even eleven yet. Besides, it’s kinda noisy in here, and no one’s paying attention to what we’re talking about,” she pointed out.

Raze glanced around: the bar was rather loud. Most of the marines were busy eating, drinking, watching television or talking and joking.

“So you’re cute and shrewd while drunk, huh?” he asked, sounding impressed. His countenance became serious again. “Promise me no more drinks?”

She sighed, reaching for his glass of water and finishing it in one gulp, again. He raised a brow at her and she turned to him, smiling. She held out her pinky. “Pinky promise!”

As soon as they pinky-promised, she rushed off to the bathroom. Upon returning after peeing out all the alcohol she had just consumed, Skye had sobered up quite a bit.

“I’m sorry you had to see me like that,” she said, rather shyly.

Raze chuckled. “Nothing to be sorry about; it was pretty cute.”

They conversed for about half an hour before Skye began dozing against his broad shoulder, which luckily had been covered by his comfy sweater. She’d asked if they could head back to the base, but Raze wanted to make sure Anastos was fine too.

She was still aware enough to hear the mumblings of a conversation between them when Anastos wandered over with his own drink.

“Lehmann is really cute, huh, Vasallo?” His speech sounded slurred.

“Yeah, sh— he is.”

“I think you’re a very lucky man.”

There was a pause. “Thanks. I think so too.” Another pause. “How did you know?”

Anastos scoffed. “What do you mean, _‘how do I know?’_ You think I wouldn’t notice something happening between my two roommates? You guys are totally fucking.”

“Was it that obvious?” Raze sounded embarrassed.

“Maybe not to everyone else, but I’m the one who lives with you guys. Aleksi is dense as shit, but I’m sure Sinclair knows. He’s just good at keeping secrets.”

“Hmm.”

Anastos took a huffy breath. “Kind of reminds me of a crush I had in middle—” He broke off, and she could hear the swishing of liquid in the nearly empty bar. “I think you’re pretty hot too.”

“Really?”

Skye felt Raze carefully shift a little, as if turning to face Anastos.

“How come you never told me, man?” Even when she was a little tipsy, it was easy for her to detect Raze’s amused tone.

“I was scared. Just seemed like it wouldn’t work. You won’t hold it against me, will you?”

“’Course not.”

“So… you’d be okay for a threesome?”

There was a short pause. “Oh, yeah, I’m down for it,” said Raze. “I’ll ask Lehmann in the morning.”

“Okay cool.”

“We should start heading back; Lehmann’s asleep anyway.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

She felt Raze shift, and two strong hands wrapped around her waist. Skye felt herself being adjusted so that one powerful arm was under her legs and the other supported her back, her head gently pressed against his firm chest. The door creaked and the cool night breeze brushed against her cheek.

She instinctively nuzzled against the warmth of his sweater and sighed. His hands seemed to tighten their grip around her, pressing her more firmly to his body.

“Fuck, man. That’s adorable. You think you can carry me like that later?” Anastos asked.

Raze barked out a laugh. The last thing she heard before falling asleep in Raze’s arms was him replying, “We can try in the morning, if you want.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The long-awaited threesome scene is finally here, yay! I've been getting kudos and I just wanna say thank you so much. They've been helping me push myself to finish this story; enjoy~  
> Disclaimer: All the locations' names mentioned in the story are purely made up for story purposes and not related to any locations with similar (or same) names in any way and, if so, are purely coincidental.

**March 31, 2055**

**Day 180**

**0743 hours**

**Room 73**

 

The next morning, Skye woke to Raze gently shaking her. She yawned and tried to blink away the sleep in her eyes. Not wanting to get out of her soft and warm bed, she snuggled deep into her pillow again and glanced up at him from her lashes.

“Good morning.” He stroked her cheek with a finger.

She crinkled her nose at him and smiled. “Morning.”

“You wanna freshen up? I just finished.”

“Sure.” After she got up and stretched, Skye felt Raze’s finger lift her chin to his gaze. “Take a shower, too,” he added with a wink, his minty breath caressing her face.

Her heart fluttered. _Oh. Okay._

When she made her way to the bathroom, she passed by Connor towel-drying his damp hair. They smiled at each other, though she noticed his seemed a little hesitant and embarrassed.

After cleaning up, Skye was rubbing lotion on her skin when she heard the sound of Raze’s laughter outside the bathroom door.

She stepped out of the bathroom in a clean tank top and pair of shorts, and gave them both a questioning look. Connor stood and placed a hand on her shoulder, his cheeks pink. “It’s nothing important.”

Just then, Raze stripped off his shirt. “I’ll get to it. You down for a threesome with us? Last night, Connor was drunk when he asked, but the both of us are willing and you were knocked out on my shoulder.”

There was a short pause. “Oh, I’m down.” Skye had always found Connor attractive, and got along with him pretty well.

Raze grinned broadly. “Nice. I brought that just in case.” He pointed at the huge bottle of lube he had set on a bedside table (as if he’d prepared for something like this); it almost looked menacing.              

“It’s been a while since I’ve had sex,” Connor admitted. “Especially a threesome.”

“At least you’ve done it before,” Skye sighed.

“Hey.” Raze twirled a finger around a strand of her hair. “It’s all good; we’ll take it easy.”

“Raze more so,” said Connor, and the buff man let out a deep chuckle.

She turned to face her bed as she heard rustling behind her.

“Shouldn’t we push the beds together?” Skye asked, and when she turned back around, she was the only one with her clothes still on while the two men were already nude and noticeably aroused. She knew Raze could undress really quickly, but she never expected it out of Connor.

“I like the way you think,” Connor grinned at her. But when she made to help them, he stopped her. “You gotta strip before you do anything else.”

She rolled her eyes and smiled. “Fine.” She slipped out of everything as Raze and Connor pushed two of the bunks together. They would’ve done a third, of course, but with the sunken living space in the middle of the dorm, it was impossible.

Connor was the first to move towards her, claiming her lips gently while Raze trailed a line of kisses down the length of her neck, massaging her breasts from behind. Then Connor effortlessly lifted her up and set her down on the bunks.

Her heart was hammering in her chest, and Skye couldn’t deny that she was nervous, but they took their time caressing her body; she noticed Connor’s hands were slightly smoother than Raze’s, but their touches were slow. She relaxed a little.

Then Connor was spreading her legs and stroking her folds and Raze’s lips were sucking at one nipple with his other hand tweaking the second. She closed her eyes and whimpered softly, feeling wetness trickle out and slicking Connor’s fingers. Then his tongue was slipping between her folds and tasting her as thoroughly as if he were taking his time with a dessert. It didn’t take her long to reach an orgasm.

Skye had just begun to catch her breath when she felt the finger withdraw out of her and begin rubbing her juices on her bottom. Her eyes shot open; Raze’s calm gaze met hers. She unconsciously clenched her inner muscles when Connor began stroking the little hole.

“If you want me to stop, just let me know. Okay?” Connor asked, and she nodded, swallowing.

He swirled his finger outside of the hole before pushing in; she bit her lip: it didn’t hurt, but it felt rather strange, even quite pleasurable when the penetration became smoother. Raze’s finger slipped between her folds, and soon, his and Connor’s fingers began alternating their thrusts.

“Ahh…” Skye struggled to breathe as she slid back and forth against their fingers, tension coiling below her. Finally, with several swipes from Raze’s other finger on her clit, she came.

She gasped for breath, relaxing back onto the bed and opening her eyes to find the two men gone. When she closed them, she heard the sound of rushing water from the bathroom and her lips pulled into a smile. 

The two men came out of the bathroom and walked back towards her.

Anxiety welled up within her. “Are we going to…?” Skye felt the words lodge in her throat, and she couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.

“No. Not for your first time,” Connor replied, reading her mind.

Raze shook his head. “But… I’d like to build to that eventually if we… you know, hopefully, continue this after today.”

They slowed their movements in an effort to relax her; her apprehension was too apparent.

Connor paused and looked up at her. “Skye, are you sure you want to do this?”

She nodded. “I do. Just…” She took a deep breath. “I just don’t know what to expect.”

“Don’t think too much and let it happen. We’ll stop anytime you want.” Raze stroked the side of her body.

That seemed to be the encouragement that Skye needed, even as Connor tweaked at her nipples; she bit her lip and moved forward, taking his head in her hands and kissing him.

He groaned into her mouth and pulled her on top of him. Skye pulled away and lifted herself over his manhood, slowly slipping down onto him. She rolled her hips, moaning, taking more of him until he was completely inside of her. He wasn’t quite as thick as Raze, but he was a little longer; either way, she enjoyed the penetration and sensation of fullness.

When she began to move and met Connor’s half-lidded gaze, his jaw clenched and he reached up to cup her breasts, massaging them. She turned to see where Raze was: he was kneeling beside them, stroking his length and watching with the same desire as Connor.

Soft gasps escaped her lips each time she lifted and fell onto Connor’s length, but it didn’t stop Skye from placing a hand on Raze’s chest and trailing it down to his abdomen. His hand fell away and he groaned when her fingers brushed his erection. She wrapped her hand around him and he closed his eyes.

She squeezed gently and stroked him (simultaneously riding Connor helped add to the stimulation), rubbing her thumb against the tip, where precome was oozing out. She rubbed some onto her pointer finger and sucked them into her mouth while staring into Raze’s eyes and he growled. Skye smiled and leaned forward to whisper a suggestion into Connor’s ear; his hands stilled on her hips and his eyes widened as he nodded, grinning.

Raze looked at them expectantly: Connor lifted Skye off of him with a loud wet sucking noise and she positioned herself on her hands and knees on the bed, her face much closer to his erection than before. Her heated gaze stared at his straining manhood and he clenched his fists. Connor awkwardly got off of the bunks and stood behind Skye.

Connor caught Raze’s eye and winked, and to say Skye was amused by Raze’s obvious gratitude would have been an understatement. She felt Connor’s hand at the base of her spine and moved back to meet him as he guided his erection into her tight wet heat just as her lips closed around the tip of Raze’s thick hard length.

She sucked more of Raze into her mouth and moaned at the taste of him as Connor began rocking back and forth inside of her. She felt Raze’s fingers stroke her hair when she swirled her tongue around him.

In unspoken agreement, the three of them moved faster. Harder. The trio’s groans filled the dorm. Skye could feel her orgasm building…

Connor swiped a finger on her clit and she exploded, pursing her lips over Raze’s length so that he and Connor followed shortly after, flooding her mouth and clenching folds with their release.

~*~

The three of them lay in the combined-bed for a moment; panting was the only sound that could be heard. Then Skye slowly got up, and gingerly lifted herself off the bed with the intent of getting a nice shower when she felt Connor’s hand around her arm, pulling her back to the mattresses.

“Are you seriously going to be leaving the bed before Raze or me when it’s your first threesome?” Connor asked while Raze gave her a rather accusatory look.

“It sounds bad when you say it like that but I just wanna shower and get food before the DFAC closes,” said Skye, and her sentence was punctuated by her stomach growling.

The two men laughed at her; she had a point.

 

After a quick breakfast, Raze went off to the gym while Skye and Connor walked back to their dorm when the topic of schooling came up.

“I went to Ariton Middle School before going to a high school that specialized—”

“Wait, what middle school did you say you went to?” Connor had frozen in the middle of the hallway.

“Ariton.”

There was silence as they looked at each other and Skye realized then that he was the same Connor who had been in her biology class all those years ago. She’d never known Connor’s last name until she got to the base, but now she finally put two and two together, she could say for sure why she thought he looked familiar.

Connor noticed the look of revelation on her face.

“I know that this has been… however many years late, but I never got to confess anything all those years ago. To be honest, I had a crush on you.”

“You had a pretty bad way of showing it, if at all,” Skye said lightly.

Connor reddened. “Yeah. My friend told me that as soon as I found out you moved away.”

“Connor,” she said, walking up to him and resting her hands upon his firm muscled chest. “What matters is we're together now. But I’m flattered that you still like me after all these years!” Skye smiled up at him, and he scoffed a little— which was promptly stifled when she kissed him. She couldn’t help but giggle against his mouth when he wrapped his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss.

When he pulled back, his eyes were wide as he ran a hand through his hair.

“You okay?”

Connor nodded, pressing his cheek to hers. He ran his hands up and down her arms and embraced her again. “The last time I was in a relationship with a girl was in high school. It’s been nearly a decade. It wasn’t a healthy one at all, and since then I’d been with men. Until you. Or, I guess it’s still half and half, since we’re both with Raze too,” he amended, and Skye giggled.

 

**Day 209**

 

“Why did you join the Marines, Connor?”

“Did you know I modeled when I was in high school?” he asked her, and Skye shook her head, but could believe it: he was tall, lean and handsome. “Just some catalogs and ads. I was offered to model for the big luxury designers though: Fiore, Beauchemin…”

_Damn._

“But I decided to enlist in the military instead. All the attention and flirting— both before and during the photo shoot— drained me. Besides, working in a completely different environment would be a new experience, too.”

“A lot less glamorous than you would’ve been used to. Wouldn’t that have been potentially traumatizing?” Skye half-joked.

Connor chuckled. “Yeah, I was pretty shocked by how tough things were, at first, but I did my best to adjust. Joining the Marines was a way for me to get out of the country and do more ‘good’ for Libertas, you know?”

She nodded and cupped his cheek, leaning forward to kiss the tip of his nose. “I’m happy you joined so I could meet you again after over a decade,” she smiled up at him.

He tapped her forehead. “I didn’t know I’d run into you again. Or get with you.”

“Obviously.”

With a soft _hiss,_ the door opened and Raze wandered in with his football gear (there had been a friendly base-wide game on the Athletic Field that afternoon), smelling of sweat, mud, and grass. He rinsed his helmet and uniform in the sink before stripping out of it and soaking them in a tub of water (he added the detergent and baking soda after).

Skye and Connor appreciatively stared at his muscles as he walked over to his locker in his boxers for his pajamas.

“I’m gonna take a shower,” he told them, before heading to the bathroom, clearly oblivious they were still gazing after him.

Skye and Connor were still lying in her bunk and talking when Raze emerged from the bathroom in his pajamas with a towel on his damp hair. He sat beside Connor with his knitting and began to work.

“I’m still waiting for my socks, grandma,” she teased Raze and he pinched her cheek.

“You wait patiently now, dearie, or you won’t get any at all,” he said in a terribly pitched old lady’s voice.

Skye and Connor burst out laughing.

“I’d appreciate a sweater once you’re done with her socks,” said Connor, grinning and running a hand along the length of Raze's back.

“Really?” Raze turned to look at him, looking half-excited and half-surprised.

“’Course. It gets cold at night.”

“See? Even he agrees,” Skye pointed out.

Raze smiled at them both.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay! I've been preparing applications for study abroad c:  
> Hoping I get in! Anyway, we're nearly at the end; hope everyone who's reading is having fun with the story~

**June 5, 2055**

**Day 246**

**0014 hours**

**Barracks C – Room 44**

 

This was it.  The mole was going to be ousted today. 

Skye wiped her sweaty palms on her pants as she followed Colonel Velasquez and three other Marines to his room.

The colonel pounded on the door.  _“Halls!  Open this door; you’re under arrest for treason against Libertas!”_  

He waited ten seconds before gesturing to the door.  Two of the Marines broke the door down with a device and a couple of kicks with steel-toed boots.

But the room was empty.  Something niggled at the back of Skye’s mind. Suddenly, the colonel rushed out from the room with another Marine.  “Get out! It’s—”

_BOOM._

The ground shook violently and the blast knocked Skye off her feet; she landed on her back with a grunt.  She blinked hard and spots of color flashed before her.  Rubble littered the front of the room and smoke slowly spiraled out.  The alarm began to sound.

“Lehmann!  You all right?”  Another Marine helped Skye to her feet.  She nodded and coughed, glancing around.  Room 44 hadn’t been the only room bombed: the colonel was bellowing orders into his earpiece and two of the Marines that had accompanied them had disappeared.

 _“Fuck.”_   The colonel ran a hand through his hair; his expression frightened Skye.  He turned to her.  “Lehmann, get to Barracks A.  Now.”

Ice ran down her spine.  With a curt nod, she tightened the rifle’s sling around her body and bolted out of Barracks C.

Barracks B had also been bombed, but it looked as if C had suffered the most damage.  A low rumbling and panicked shouts sounded behind her as parts of the building began to collapse.  She couldn’t look back.

Heart pounding in her throat, Skye sprinted back to a smoking Barracks A with an energy she’d never felt before fueling her legs.  She streaked past the elevator and took the stairs, two at a time.  Men rushed past her with their gear, calling out orders and updates.  The alarm blared in her ears and flashed bright orange and yellow lights.

She barreled down the hallway, swallowing as she noted the scuffmarks and blood streaked along the ground.  The absence of bodies comforted her, a little. Skye skidded to a halt outside Room 73, her eyes widening.

The security panel outside the door had been smashed; wires fizzled and several pieces of the panel had fallen to the floor.  Most of the door was intact, save for an enormous, steaming hole in the middle. Skye glanced down the rest of the hallway: the rest of the doors and panels to her left were in the exact same condition, but the ones on her right were fine.

She clambered through the hole, careful to not touch any of the steaming sides.  But apart from some clear signs of a scuffle— sheets on the floor, more scuffmarks, a couple books, personal belongings and a lamp shattered beside her feet— there was no one.  Raze and Connor were gone.

**Day 312**

**2242 hours**

**POW Camp - Restricted**

                 

“Clear.”

Skye moved forward as quickly as possible, swinging her rifle this way and that along the dark corridors, rendered green with her night vision goggles.  Her heart was hammering in her chest and for once she was grateful that she wore gloves; her hands had never sweat so much.

Aleksi paused outside a door and withdrew a device from his pocket.  It scanned the door with a beep.  He stepped back.

“These should be the rooms.”

Sinclair moved forward and aimed a thin tablet at the electronic lock.  A row of numbers rapidly blinked across the screen before the door slid open with a soft click.

Before Sinclair could go into the room, Skye had stepped in and tore off her goggles.  A lone figure had been lying on a cot in the dimly lit room, but she could still make out the man’s features from the doorway as he turned to look in her direction.  Tears sprung to her eyes.

“Raze,” she breathed.  She rushed into the room, slinging her sniper rifle on her back.

He rose from the bed.  “Skye?”

“Raze, are you—”

He crossed the room in a couple long strides and embraced her tightly— being in his warm, strong embrace again after so long almost made her legs collapse beneath her— slanting his mouth over hers.  He kissed her deeply, and it was a little messy, but Skye couldn’t help but kiss him back.  She pressed her hands into his warm, hard chest and sighed a little as he sucked and nibbled at her lips; his hands slipped down around her waist.

When Raze finally pulled away, she got a good look: he’d lost quite a bit of weight, but was still exceedingly muscular.  His skin wasn’t as tan, and there were dark circles beneath his eyes.

“You came for me,” he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers.  That’s when he noticed her tears.  Raze’s gaze softened and he wiped at her wet cheeks with his thumbs. “Don’t cry,” he whispered.  She sniffled.  “I knew you’d come.  Are you okay?”  He looked her over, running his hands up and down her arms and body; the feel of his large, warm hands sent goose bumps all across her skin.

She took a shaky breath and nodded, feeling a little calmer.  “Of course I’d come rescue you. What matters is that you’re fine.  How about you?  Did they hurt you?”  She glanced over his bare arms: there were a couple faded bruises, a few fresh ones, some healed lacerations.

Skye looked up at him again. Seeing him in this state: paler, a little thinner, tired, and looking a little… defeated, frightened her.  It reminded her of what Raze looked like when he was still recovering in the medical bay.  If this was what he looked like after a couple months, Skye shuddered at the idea of how much he could’ve changed if they had taken longer to rescue him. Dread filled the pit of her stomach.

_What would Connor look like?_

“They could’ve done worse,” Raze mumbled.  He dropped his head beside hers and inhaled deeply.  His hands slipped around her again so he could hug her.

“Raze, as much as I want to cuddle, we need to go,” Skye said, and he pulled away.  “We need to get Connor.”

His eyes lit up.  He nodded. 

When they made their way out of the room, where the rest of the squad were patiently waiting, everyone else hugged Raze and the medic gave him a quick once-over and determined none of his injures were serious; they could break the rest of the POWs from their base out first.

Connor’s room was the furthest down the hall.  He’d been sitting on the floor, his head leaned back onto the mattress behind him. Even though Skye couldn’t get a clear view of his face when she just entered his room, she could sense the defeated aura that seemed to surround him.  When he heard her, he lifted his head.  There was a moment’s pause when she began to cry again.  Connor stood, and without saying a word, walked across the room, picked her up and twirled her, his countenance considerably bright. He, too, had lost weight, but his arms seemed more corded than before, as if he’d been doing manual labor.  He was even paler than Raze, had darker circles, and unlike Raze, a couple blotchy bruises on his cheek and a thin, healing cut above his brow.

She was rather perturbed at first, but then he kissed her, just as passionately as Raze had.  He lifted her a little and deepened the kiss, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist, their tongues intertwining. She ran his fingers through his thick hair; it wasn’t as soft as she remembered.  When Skye found a raised bump at the back, she felt Connor flinch, his face turning away from hers with a pained grimace.  She was impressed, and relieved, that he kept a firm grip and did not drop her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.  She hated seeing anyone, or anything, in pain. “I didn’t know.  Are you okay?”

He nodded silently and closed his eyes, pressing his cheek to hers before setting her back down.  He slipped his fingers through hers.

 _Hands are a lot rougher too,_ Skye noted.

Connor and Raze kissed as well, and Skye took the opportunity to wipe at her tears.  The two men turned around to embrace her.  She could feel her eyes becoming wet with tears again and eventually she couldn’t handle it anymore.

They attempted to kiss her sobs away, but that only made her cry harder.

 

**Day 319**

**1321 hours**

**MCB Camp Demetrius Medical Bay – Libertas**

 

Skye couldn’t have felt more relieved when the doctor and colonel released Raze and Connor from the Bay. She’d been by their beds, which had luckily been right beside each other so she could sit between them, all day, for a week, with little food and sleep.  How could she eat, or rest, when the two men she loved, and had finally rescued, were back home with her?  And injured and suffering from PTSD, at that.

“We’ll give you a week at the Somnum Apartments to rest up and gather your things,” Colonel Velasquez had said, handing a set of keys to her.  “After that, you guys can head home.  For good.  Thank you for your service, Lehmann.”  He grasped her hand and shook firmly.  “Your superior is waiting in the lobby.”

Skye blinked.  _Chairwoman Yang?_

She stepped out into the lobby. But it wasn’t a tall Asian woman waiting for her.

“Skye Lehmann.”  A petite black woman— Tasha Rhodes— stood from one of the sofas.  Two men and a woman, decked out in armor and gear, stood near her. 

Skye smiled, feeling her shoulders relax.  Of course it’d be the CEO.  The chairwoman would be far too busy to deal with a young mercenary like her.  They shook hands.

“Come.”  Rhodes placed a hand on the small of her back and led her into a doctor’s office to the right of the lobby.  The two men stationed themselves outside the door, but the woman entered the room with them.

Skye sat in the chair opposite the doctor’s desk.  Rhodes intertwined her fingers together and observed the sniper quietly for a few moments. Skye swallowed and fidgeted.

“Thanks to you, the mole’s finally been captured.  Any and all POWs that were taken from your base in Daehan Minguk have been rescued, as well.  You’ve done well.”

“Thank you, ma’am.  I was only doing my job.”

Rhodes smiled a little.  “The rest of the funds have been transferred to your account.  Colonel Velasquez has told me they’ve wired the other half of your pay as well.  You won’t need to return to the base, and you’ll be put on leave.  It’s nearly the end of the year, anyway.  You’ll get a call within six months; until then, relax while you can.  The next few weeks are going to be a pain in the ass.”

Skye agreed.  “But I can still help—”

Rhodes raised a hand and Skye shut her mouth.  “Thank you, Lehmann.  But we need you to rest up first.  You can worry about work after that.”

She nodded.  There was a pause.  “Ma’am, do you mind if I ask what’ll happen to Vasallo and Anastos?”

“You could’ve asked the colonel, but from what I’ve been told, they’ll be in the same position as you.” 

Skye had been careful to keep her face blank, but it was futile.  There was a knowing look in Rhodes’ gaze.

 

**Day 349 (a month after being let out of the Med Bay)**

**2:39pm**

**Caelum Loft 7-3 – Bahía, Libertas**

 

“Has anyone ever told you you could be a bouncer?” Skye joked.

“A few times.  Why?  You think I’m big and scary enough to be one?” Raze towered over her and scrunched his face into an exaggerated scowl, playfully assuming the role.

“Yeah, you’d probably be a good one.” She looked up at him and smiled. She knew him too well to be phased by something like this, and he couldn’t help but smile back.  “Well, the ideal intimidating bouncer would look like you and have Connor’s stoic personality.”

“You’re just as likely to get hired, babe,” Connor pointed out on the couch.  He set his book aside and placed his hands behind his head.  “It’s easier to defuse situations with talking.  If Raze were a bouncer more guys would want to challenge him to feel manly and shit.”

Raze agreed.  “I could look like strong security, but some people want more relaxing environments, too.”  He poked at her nose.  “If you were bouncer, it’d be easier for you to search women for drugs, checking the bathrooms for anything going wrong, dealing with drunk women…”

Skye leapt up from her chair. “Sounds good, I’ll go apply now!”

She felt long, slightly rough fingers slip through hers and looked up to see Connor looking down at her, his eyes twinkling.  She blinked up at him.

_I still don’t get how he can move so quietly…_

“Nice try, babe.”  Connor grinned and kissed her forehead.  “If anything, _we’re_ the ones who should be finding work so we’re not bored out of our minds. You’ve still got a few months before the Regiment contacts you.”

She furrowed her brows and pouted a little.  “You know what the Colonel and Doctor Singh told you,” she said quietly.  “They said to check in at three months; once your examination is fine, you can start looking **.** You guys wouldn’t be able to find anything until the notification expires.”

Connor sighed.  “I just need something to do.”

Raze nodded; Skye understood. They’d been going to the gym together three to four times a week and trying to do things to fill in the time: watching movies, buying necessities at their new apartment, traveling around Bahía and going to parks, but not having work was exhausting in a way as well. And considering that Daehan Minguk had been her first major mission when she’d been training with the Regiment all her life… she’d forgotten about the resting period between jobs.

But, one thing they could get out of the way while the two men continued to recuperate was meeting with friends and family, she pointed out.  Connor had become pale once she’d said this and even Raze looked apprehensive.

To say her family was shocked would have been an understatement.  There had been a short pause before her mother said, “I just wanted you to bring home at least _one_ man.”  Skye had been worried that her father and brother would’ve been overly protective, and it seemed that they had, at first, since their expressions weren’t very welcoming when they saw Raze and Connor.

But after about an hour or so, it seemed they noticed how much effort her boyfriends had put into striking up conversation.  By the third hour, they were all talking as if they were friends who hadn’t seen each other for a long time.

Raze’s family seemed to be the most open-minded of their relationship: his parents had looked delighted and his sister Vivian had practically dragged Skye and Connor into the house as soon as the door had swung open.

Skye had expected Connor’s mother to disapprove, but the woman had said something in Vietnamese (“đẹp”)and embraced both her and Raze while his father stood stiffly off to the side.  Connor later clarified she’d said “beautiful,” and she awkwardly nodded and smiled while murmuring a thank you (Raze had preened, he’d never been called that before).  Things seemed to take a turn for the better halfway through their dinner; Connor’s father seemed to be done quietly observing them and began asking questions and barking with laughter at nearly all their jokes.

Finally, before they were to head home, Connor’s father pulled his son off to the side and boomed something in a language Skye didn’t recognize.

“What language was that?” she asked just as Raze himself asked, “What did your dad say?” as soon as they had all gotten into the Stallion parked outside on the driveway.

Connor laughed.  “Greek.  He said I picked well and he’s looking forward to the wedding and babies; looks like you guys passed his test.”

Skye’s friends, as most young people are, were also exceedingly accepting and they’d given her boyfriends their “stamps of approval.”  Most of Raze and Connor’s friends had been at the Daehan Minguk base, and when they’d found time to visit Bahía, had only responded they were wondering when the three would finally confess they were together as a ménage a trois.

**Day 357**

**9:08pm**

 

“We never asked how things were for you when we weren’t there,” Connor said softly, tucking several strands of hair behind her ear.

Skye tilted her head to the side. “What matters is that you guys are back now,” she said.  Which was true.

Raze and Connor wrapped their hands around hers; their warmth seemed to seep into her body.  “You’ve tried to help us during our problems; tell us if anything happened here.”

“I was pretty depressed at first but once I was told that everyone was searching for POW camps in the area, I wanted to help.  After the explosion, everyone at the base had been evacuated and went back to Libertas. My friends and family tried to… cheer me up.  I really appreciated their help but I don’t think it did much.”  She sighed.  “I was contemplating getting a pet.  Maybe a puppy.”

Connor trailed his fingers up the length of her arm and pulled her close so he could hug her.  “We could get a puppy after we’re all married,” he said, his tone light.

“That’s a good idea,” Raze pulled Connor against his side and kissed his cheek; Connor blushed.

Skye blinked at them.  _Married…?_

**Day 401**

**3:21pm**

**Organica Market – Bahía, Libertas**

 

“Hey, Skye!”

Skye turned around to see Maria jogging over to her.  Her girlfriend, Jana, was a few meters away with their shopping cart full of groceries, and waved at her and Connor.  Skye grinned and waved back: they ran into their neighbors often.

“Maria! What’s up?”

“Jana and I are having a party at our place this Saturday.  You guys down?”

Skye glanced over at Connor, who half-nod-shrugged.  “Sure. What time and what’s the occasion?”

“You’ll see when you come over,” Maria’s eyes twinkled at her.  “Starts at seven.  Come by with an empty stomach and bring food or drinks.  We’ll go out to Neon before midnight, you know, the one on Donahue South Street?”

Skye nodded: they had good cocktails and music.

“Around elevenish, we booked a table.”

“Cool, we’ll be there.”

“Nice!” Maria grinned and nodded at Connor, who smiled back.  “Nice seeing you, Connor.  You guys can’t be late; you live on the same floor as us!”

Skye laughed as she jogged back to her girlfriend. “All right!”

She and Connor continued making their way over to their car.

“I bet it’s going to be their engagement party,” he said as they began to unload groceries in the trunk.

“That’s not a bad guess!”  She was silent for a moment.  “They’re really sweet, so if it is, then I hope all the best for them.”

Connor raised a brow at her. “They’re _much_ friendlier with you, babe, compared to how they treat me and Raze.”

She shrugged at him.  “We’re all girls.”

He shot a skeptical look, nodding. “Uh huh.  Don’t tell me you’re that dense.”  He paused meaningfully.  _“Really?_  Skye, you’re cute.  That’s why they’re so nice to you!”

“Aww, thanks, babe.  I think you’re cute too,” she teased him.

Connor pinched her ass and kissed her cheek; she squeaked, startled.  “They love your ass.”

Skye stared up at him with wide eyes. “What?”

He chuckled.  “Just now, when we were walking to the car, Maria looked back and checked out your ass.  They do it all the time if they have the opportunity.”

Her eyes became bigger, but she couldn’t help but feel flattered.  “They do?”

Connor sighed.  “Raze was right: I had to tell you myself.  Now I owe him a twenty.”

Even though Connor had lost his bet to Raze, he’d been right about one thing: it _was_ an engagement party. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been gone a long time. I know. I was really busy with applications to grad school but I'd argue that's just an excuse for me, when it shouldn't. Either way, I've finally finished the penultimate chapter.  
> Sorry for the long wait!

**November 22, 2055**

**Day 415**

**Caelum Loft 7-3 Bedroom – Bahía, Libertas**

Skye gave him a lingering kiss and moaned softly into his mouth as she placed her hands upon his back, lightly kneading and massaging his muscle.  Connor groaned, his tongue swept the inside of her mouth and he shuddered under her touch as her soft, gentle fingers trailed up to his neck and tangled in his hair.

She gasped as he lowered his head and sucked at a tender spot on her neck, and her legs involuntarily opened for him as he settled his body against hers more comfortably.  His hips dipped between her soft, warm thighs.

Connor’s lips brushed over her skin as he moved to suckle a breast, grinding the tip of his shaft against her.  Skye pressed her head back against the wall as she arched her back, panting. 

Her fingers lightly tugged his thick and soft, brown hair, and a low rumble emitted from his throat. Suddenly, Skye slipped both of her hands down his pants and stroked him.  Connor promptly pulled away from the kiss, his gaze darkening.  She smiled up at him, caressing the hot, silken skin and wrapping her fingers around his hardening length.  He shuddered and panted when she began to pump, closing his eyes.

She watched his hands clench at his sides as she continued, brushing against the head of his length.

“Skye…” She looked up to see him clenching his jaw, his eyelids hooded.  “Take it easy.”

She blinked innocently and then grinned.  Skye took her hands out from his pants and led him away from the wall, pushing him onto the bed nearby.

She straddled Connor and ran her hands from his abs to his chest as she leaned forward, relishing the heat and feel of his muscles.  She dipped her head to kiss him and he groaned into her mouth as she rubbed his hard nipples while grinding against his arousal.

Skye pulled away from the kiss and shivered when she felt his big, slightly rough hands caressing up the length of her bare back before resting on her waist, pulling her down against his swollen arousal.  She slowly slid down along his body despite Connor’s frustrated growl, held his manhood in place with her fingers, and teased him with her lips and tongue, using her other hand to cup and play with his balls.  Skye rubbed her lips against him, occasionally parting them to suck lightly.

A low groan sounded beneath her as his length throbbed and swelled even further.  Connor fisted the sheets, and the taste of his precum filled her mouth. She licked up the liquid, savoring the taste.

Suddenly, Connor promptly rolled her beneath him and began pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses down the length of her neck to her breasts.  “Not yet,” he whispered into her ear.  “If I let you keep this up, this would’ve been over far too quickly.”

Her eyes closed and a soft gasp escaped her lips when she felt his tongue on her nipple.  Then his lips sucked gently and she moaned.  Connor’s fingers trailed to the folds between her legs and skillfully rubbed her; his finger had barely pushed in when her orgasm suddenly crashed over her.  When Skye recovered, she met Connor’s wide eyes with her own.

“That was fast,” he said.

She nodded.  “First time anything like that’s happened.”

Her eyes shot down to his erection, which looked like it had swollen and hardened even further.  She gently pushed him off of her and got on her hands and knees on the bed, arching her back.  She felt his hands on her hips and then he was pushing inside and beginning to thrust.

After they both climaxed, Connor turned her around to face him.  Her back pressed into the mattress below her as he lifted her legs to rest on his shoulders. After slipping in, Skye tucked in her legs, so her knees were to her chest, and crossed her ankles.

He closed his eyes and groaned as a soft gasp escaped her lips when she squeezed him.  It felt tighter in this position.  And it was easier for him hit that spot inside of her.

Even though it looked as if he was fighting to pull air into his lungs, Connor kept his gaze trained on Skye, repeating movements that made her mewl and cry out beneath him.  He rocked his hips and she couldn’t help the moan that escaped her.  The friction and sensations were irresistible…

Skye reached her peak first, with Connor following shortly after and collapsing beside her on the bed.  She whimpered when he slowly pulled out, and they took a few minutes to catch their breaths.

“I’m not complaining, but I’m surprised you were gentler this time,” Skye teasingly admitted, once her heart rate had returned to normal and they had finished cleaning up.   Raze was usually gentler at sex and Connor preferred rougher… handling.  She dropped back onto the mattress and stretched, pulling the blankets over her.

He chuckled, slipping in to lay beside her.  “I can’t do something different once in a while?”

He turned over on his side and she took the cue to spoon him from behind.  Being the big spoon to help Connor cope with his PTSD was something she and Raze had recently discovered during one of their threesomes.  The first time she had done it to Connor, it felt rather odd considering he was bigger and taller than her.  Skye had even tried it with Raze and they had all laughed about it, but it was something even the buff man had said he rather liked. 

She hugged him a little tighter and nuzzled his smooth, slightly damp, warm olive skin.  His shoulders rose and fell slower and his breathing deepened. Connor placed a calloused hand over hers.

“Thank you, Skye.”  She could feel his torso vibrate as he spoke.

Skye turned her head so her chin rested on his shoulder blade.  “I wish I noticed earlier.”

Connor chuckled.  He turned and pulled her off his back so they were embracing one another face-to-face.  “Noticed what?”

She blinked up at him.  “That doing this might’ve helped.”

He traced her features with the tip of his finger.  “I guess, in a way, we all discovered it together.”

She rolled her eyes and flopped onto her back, groaning dramatically.  “Ah, the cheesiness is killing me!”

He grinned and moved closer again, pulling Skye onto him so her head was resting on his chest.  There was a comfortable silence for a moment.

“Raze told me he’s doing better,” said Connor. 

“What about you?” Skye asked gently.

“I think it’s going to take me more time than him,” he admitted, his voice soft.

“As cliché as this sounds, the both of us are always going to be here for you.  Well, Raze is at the gym, but you get my point.  Just let us know whenever you need a hug or someone to talk to.”

“And you just said _I_ was cheesy?”  Connor teased, before his expression softened.  “I know.”  He reached up to run a finger along her cheekbone and kissed her gently. “Thanks, babe.”

 

The next day, Skye popped into the kitchen while putting on her hat and retrieving her thermos from one of the cupboards.

“Morning!”

“You’re not gonna eat anything?” Connor asked as he transferred his freshly made smoked salmon eggs Benedict to a plate. “You want a few bites of this?”

“No, my appointment’s in half an hour,” she said, preparing some cool green tea and pouring it into the bottle. She secured the lid over it and stuffed her keys and phone into her bag.

“What are all of these appointments that you’re going to, again?” Raze asked, glancing at her over his spinach-green pepper-mushroom omelet (courtesy of Connor).  Connor sat beside Raze with his food and began to dig in.

“Well, now that we’ve finally settled down, I want to spoil myself with the money I made,” Skye chirped back excitedly. It’d been ages since she’d gotten her nails done.  _Maybe I can get my hair done, too,_ she thought. After moving into the Loft apartment with her boyfriends, they’d been focused on settling and resting up.  She’d have preferred to arrange things earlier, but helping Raze and Connor had been her priority.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you… look really feminine,” Connor admitted.  “No offense.”

She glanced at herself in the mirror on a nearby wall: she wore a knee-length beige-and-black striped dress, nude heeled sandals, and a straw hat.  Her minimal makeup looked natural. 

“I could’ve accessorized more, but I don’t want to be late,” she said.

“Hope we get to see you like this more often,” Raze grinned.  “Not that we were complaining before, but this kind of look would be a nice change every now and then.”

“Better enjoy it until my next mission then,” she smiled at them.  “I gotta go. See you at dinner!”

~*~

**7:03pm**

**The Balance – Galleria District**

 

The way Raze and Connor were staring at her in her pale blue waterfall hem sleeveless lace dress as she walked through the doors to their table made her face and body noticeably warmer.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said, a little breathlessly, draping her creamy notch lapel double-breasted coat on the fourth, spare chair at the small, round table.  “Rima couldn’t decide what gift to get for her anniversary.”  She hung her handbag on the back of her chair as Raze checked his watch.

“Looks like you’re just in time, actually.”  She kissed both of their cheeks before sitting down in the last empty chair between them.

“You got your hair done?” Connor asked, lightly twining his fingers around her now-shoulder length deep gold wavy locks.

“I didn’t see why not,” Skye said. “Just make it more chic, you know? I get to grow my hair out now, since it’ll be a while before I’ll be called in.  And I doubt I’ll need to chop anything off for any future missions.”

“These are a nice color,” Raze picked up her hand and turned it this way and that, so that the deep plum on her nails caught the light at different angles.  He set her hand on the table and raked his gaze down her dress.  “If I’d seen you like this the first time, I definitely wouldn’t have tried to prank you to get your attention,” he joked, looking up at her with a grin.

Skye widened her eyes.  “Really?” she pouted.  “Should’ve gone to the base as a secretary or something then.”

She blinked and Raze sighed, turning away.  “Now I feel even guiltier; I don’t think that would’ve worked as well if you didn’t have such long eyelashes.”

Skye exhaled through her nose, the corner of her mouth turning up into a small smile.

“But then circumstances might’ve been different.  We might have never gotten together,” Connor pointed out.

She nodded, and admired her two boyfriends: they both looked very dapper and handsome in their sleek dark suits, though Raze’s seemed a bit snug around his broad shoulders.  It was the first time she’d seen the both of them dressed up for her, too.  And their cologne smelled amazing and seemed to blend together really well.

Raze chuckled and picked up his menu. “All right, let’s order something before we make the waiters too anxious.”

“Who found this place?” Skye asked.

“Connor did; said the reviews were good.”

Connor nodded.  “Be nice if they had some kind of pho or banh mi fusion. Then I could bring my mom here.”

“What kind of food is it again?”

“East, southeast and south Asian fusion.”

After they had ordered, Skye leaned forward a little.  She couldn’t help but notice that both Raze and Connor’s gazes darted down to her cleavage. She just barely resisted from smiling; though her breasts were proportional to her petite frame, the dress did a good job of accentuating it enough that it seemed to draw her boyfriends’ attention right away.

“How’s everyone doing?” she asked them. “Any exciting news?”

Raze and Connor had gone to meet up with Lance, Warren and Brad earlier that day shortly after she had left the house.

“Alek— I mean, Lance seems to be really into the girl he’s dating,” Connor said, and Skye nodded: it was still odd for them to be using the friends’ first names instead of their last names.

“And Warren’s relieved he’s finally back home with his boyfriend.” 

“Yeah, I remember him mentioning he had a long-distance thing back at the base,” said Skye.  “How about Brad?”             

“Just got back from vacationing from the Coast and wants to find some work.” 

Simultaneously, they both reached for her hands.  “They also asked how you were doing,” Connor said quietly.

Skye blinked.  “I’m doing great,” she smiled.  And it was true.

Raze gently squeezed her fingers. “They asked if you found a way for us to repay you yet.”

She giggled; the two men had brought it up a couple times since they had all moved in together.  She had always waved it off.  There was nothing to repay, and she wanted to keep it that way. “I don’t need to be repaid.  And I don’t want to.”

Connor sighed.  “You saved my life.”  His amber gaze seemed to spear through her.

“And mine twice,” Raze added.

“I only saved you once, from that sniper,” she pointed out to Raze, but he shook his head.

“They would’ve killed me— and Connor— if we stayed there too long.  You’ve saved two of my lifetimes at this point.”

“Why are you guys bringing this up now?” Skye asked them.

“I suppose having this fancy dinner put things in perspective,” Connor said, gently squeezing her fingers.

Raze opened his mouth, but closed it again.

Skye swallowed.  She knew what he was thinking, what he had stopped himself from saying.  _If I hadn’t saved them, we wouldn’t be together now. Living together and having dinner._

It should’ve felt really cheesy, but it didn’t.  And all she could do was kiss them both on their cheeks.  Words weren’t needed.

Skye had never had such fancy, delicious Asian food: after enjoying Peking duck salad with almonds and black truffle, they had bibimbap with pumpkin rice, handmade ramen with braised pork, cloud ear mushroom, menma and green onion.  There was Kobe beef kare-kare, dum aloo banasari with naan, and nasi kandar fish curry with pappadum, and a number of other dishes.

There was even a scrumptious sampling menu of desserts: papaya and snow fungus sweet soup, strawberry lassi, anmitsu with matcha ice cream, halayang ube and thin slices of dragonfruit, mango, pineapple and starfruit.  By the time she was done, Skye felt stuffed, but when she glanced down to check the state of her dress, she was pleased she hadn’t spilled anything, and that her belly still looked flat.

They tipped generously before leaving. As the three of them walked back to their car, Skye started a little when she felt the tip of a finger stroke down her neck.

“You’re just asking to be ravished in that dress,” Connor whispered into her ear, and she felt heat blossom between her legs.

“As long as you don’t rip it off of me,” she murmured back.

 

**Caelum Loft 7-3 Bedroom – Bahía, Libertas**

**11:22pm**

 

By the time they reached the bedroom, the two men’s tuxedos and Skye’s dress were pooled on the floor.  Connor was holding Skye in his arms and Raze was rubbing his erection against Connor’s while massaging her breasts.

Skye broke from her kiss with Connor, panting.  “I want you both inside of me.”

Connor gently pressed his forehead against hers.  “Next time,” he assured her, before she allowed herself to be carried to bed.  He set her down and Skye watched Raze cup Connor’s face and kiss him passionately.

She smiled and moved to join them when they looked at her.

~*~ 

**3:07am**

 

Skye woke later that night with Connor’s arm around her bare waist.  She carefully moved it off of her and slipped out of the bed.  Raze was snoring softly on Connor’s other side.

She hurried into the bathroom to pee and wash her hands before getting some water.  She stepped into the tub to quickly wash up, too, just in case. Maybe she could wake the both of them up with a surprise—

Skye had just finished drying herself off when the dim night light in the bathroom switched off.   

It almost felt as if her heart had stopped.  “Eek! Shit!”  She swore and felt her way around the bathroom, accidentally bumping her leg into the counter.  She draped the towel back on the rack, felt for the doorknob, and opened the door.

“Raze? Connor?” Skye called out tentatively, but was met with silence.  She’d never realized how dark their apartment could be when all sources of light were off.  It also didn’t help that she was completely naked.  She wrapped her arms around herself, covering her breasts.  Goose bumps rose along her skin the longer she stood there: the room was quite cool compared to being in bed.

_This is just asking to be the set of a horror movie…_

She felt her way, clumsily, through the bedroom to the bed, and sat.  The spaces that Raze and Connor had occupied were still a little warm, and her anxiety heightened.  Her heart was beating so quickly, it almost felt like it would leap out of her chest.

 _They couldn’t have gone anywhere too far,_ she thought.

Her eyes had just begun to adjust to the serious lack of lightwhen she heard soft padding outside the door before it opened to reveal a dark humanoid shape. 

“Raze?  Connor?” she asked again.

“It’s Raze,” he said, closing the door behind him and walking towards the bed.  “Connor’s checking the generator.”

Skye stared at the shape nearing her.  _They walked around the house naked?_

There was a soft _clunk_ as he set down a bottle of something on the bedside table, before laying out a few fluffy towels on top of the blankets.

Skye felt him sit on the bed and she moved over to him.  She couldn’t help but slide her hands all over his face and powerful body, savoring the warmth and feel of his muscles.  Her fingers lingered over the scruff on his defined jaw.  He was definitely Raze… not that she doubted him when she heard his voice but considering she could barely see him, feeling him definitely helped. His familiar, masculine scent filled her nostrils and eased the tension in her frame.

Raze slipped an arm around her waist and stroked the curve at the base of her spine with his fingertips, sending pleasant shivers throughout her; his manhood stirred against her, and when he opened his eyes (having closed them when she caressed his body), he smiled and rubbed her cheek with the thumb of his other hand.  “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice huskier than before.

“Just making sure it’s you.” Skye finished her exploration and massaged his broad shoulders, raising herself a little and rubbing against him.

He groaned and rubbed back, his length hardening, leaning forward to kiss her.  When he pulled away he asked, “Why?  To make sure I’m not a ghost or something?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and licked at his bottom lip.  “I don’t know about you, but it’s pretty scary when the lights are out.”

“Were you afraid, Skye?” Raze whispered, gently grazing his lips against her mouth and leaning away from her so he could cup her breasts.

“A little,” she admitted in a whisper.

“Are you still afraid?”  He brushed her hard nipples with his fingers.

“Yes.”

“Why?”  He moved so that his lips surrounded her earlobe and he nipped it gently. She was going to respond, but then he cupped both breasts and gently squeezed, thumbing her nipples; her lids fluttered closed as she leaned her head back, her reply becoming a soft gasp instead.  “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

She heard the door open and close behind her, heard the sound of objects being placed on a hard surface. Connor’s warm strong arms encircled her waist, leaning her against his chest as he whispered into her ear, “Don’t tell me you guys are starting without me.”

Skye glanced up to see Connor smiling down at her; when she dropped her gaze to Raze in front of her, he was moving forward with a salacious grin.

Foreplay was slow, but within no time at all, the two men’s kisses, caresses and touches had Skye dripping between her legs.

She pushed Raze a little so he was lying on the bed and moved forward.  Eye to eye, she dragged her sensitive clit along the ridge of his manhood, which was hard and pinned against his lower belly.  Hands moved from her bottom to her waist. His hands on her hips, his eyes locked on hers and Connor’s hands encircling her ribcage from behind reassured her.  Skye lowered herself onto Raze and she instinctively squeezed, her breath hitching; Raze hissed. 

She relaxed, allowing her body to sink another inch or so on Raze’s length, keeping her palms planted firmly on his broad shoulders. 

There was a moment’s pause and Skye turned to see what was taking Connor so long; he was reaching for the bottle of lube on the bedside table, which had escaped Skye’s notice.  It definitely hadn’t been there when she got back in bed after the lights went out.

 _When did he buy that?_  She wondered. They had been running low on lube.

Skye felt the cool lube squirt up into her ass, and Connor’s fingers rubbed inside of her, spreading the liquid within her.

Then he was entering her from behind and she couldn’t help the whimper that left her lips.  She always loved being penetrated by the both of them, being pressed between the two muscular bodies of the men she loved.

She moved her bottom in small circles, squeezing both Raze and Connor simultaneously.  Feeling both of them becoming huge, hot presences between her legs and in her ass felt amazing.  The three of them set up a rhythm that quickly brought Skye to orgasm, and when she shuddered, she watched as Raze closed his eyes.  She felt him and Connor thrust deep inside of her, Connor burying his face against her neck and groaning as the two men came.

 

After cleaning up, Skye and Connor were finally crawling back into bed when Raze moved to the bedside table.

There was a soft click and a glow of light as Raze lit a small candle (in a glass container) in his hand.  He wandered over and placed the candle on the bedside table before lighting a second one and placing it on the other table.

The dim candlelight flickered, but it was better than nothing.  At least Skye could see properly.

“I didn’t know we had candles,” she said, impressed.  Raze set the lighter aside and Skye’s gaze fell on the bottle of lube beside it again. Comprehension dawned on her.

She gave him and Connor (who grinned sheepishly) the side-eye, pulling up the blankets around her and Connor. “You planned this whole thing, didn’t you?”

“We thought it’d make for a nice surprise,” Connor shrugged, moving closer and cupping her cheek.  “I’ve never had sex in complete darkness before.”

“It was, but I would’ve appreciated if you had let me know before hand.”

“Ah, but then that would’ve ruined the fun of it,” Raze slipped into bed and kissed Connor’s cheek, reaching for Skye’s hand. He gently rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, his lips quirked into a smile.

Her eyes widened.  “And that’s why you said ‘next time’ earlier.”

“Damn, she got us quick.”  Raze glanced over to Connor before grinning at her again.  “Yeah, a threesome in the dark?  Come on. Especially since you’ve been a lot less inhibited than on the base.  You cuddle and actually sleep with us after sex.”

“And before, you’d just get up to shower,” Connor pointed out.

“Before, I was at a military base with a bunch of other men," Skye said.  "But now I'm home with you guys.  And I love you both very much."  Her face heated.

Raze was staring at her with wide eyes while Connor only grinned and said, "I know.  We love you too."

"Very much," Raze, who looked as if he had recovered, added.  They leaned forward to kiss each other again.

 ~*~

Skye woke up earlier than Raze and Connor, with Raze snoring softly, as usual.  The both of them were sleeping on either side, facing towards her.  She sat up in the bed and watched them for a moment, gently caressing their hair and jawlines.

Her heart squeezed.

_I love you guys so much.  I need to buy a couple rings._


	10. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayyy, finally done! I admit this story took longer than I thought to finish, but I'm happy it's done. I hope everyone who's finished this enjoyed all the saccharine cheesiness. Feedback is appreciated! Now I get to freak out about grad school abroad...

_Five years later…_

 

**February 3, 2060**

**Cerulean Estate – Mahina Shores District**

**1:33pm**

 

Skye twisted her shoulder-length hair into an elegant knotted bun and sighed.  She rubbed her gently swelling belly and stretched.

“Babe?”

She turned to see Connor standing in the bedroom doorway.

“Everything all right?”  He walked over and embraced her from behind, kissing her neck.

She reached back and turned to kiss his cheek, her fingers threading through his thick hair: he’d gone back to the same hairstyle that he had back in his modeling days, and he was still as handsome as ever, just a little older and more tired.  Being a parent did that to you.

Connor slid a hand over her belly. “How’re you guys doing?”

Skye smiled and placed her hand over his.  “We’re both fine.  My boobs are sore and I pee all the time, but at this point, I’ve had experience. Hoping for a girl so I don’t feel lonely.”

He chuckled and wrapped his hand around hers, leading her out of the bedroom.  “I’ve been actually thinking of some names, for boys and girls.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’ll tell you later.”

The both of them walked back into the kitchen, where a cute little boy was watching television while clutching a stuffed koala.  He turned and ran up to them.

“Mommy!  Snack, please?”

The boy’s tone tugged at her heartstrings.

Skye’s first child with Raze, a boy they had named Hunter, was starting to look very much like his father (albeit a much smaller, baby boy-version).  Though he had Raze’s dark hair, Hunter had a lighter skin tone, right in between Raze and Skye’s, and had her bright green eyes.

“Hunter, do you want some pudding?”

His round face lit up.  “Pudding, yeah!” he grinned, set down the stuffed koala on his chair, and toddled as fast as he could over to the breakfast bar where Connor now stood.

Connor laughed and took out a plastic container from the fridge and set to work transferring the coffee-colored dessert into a plastic bowl.

“Hunter, what color is pudding?” Skye asked.

The boy walked back to her. “Bwown.”

She laughed.  “Yeah.”

Connor rifled in the drawer for one of Hunter’s plastic spoons, and walked over, crouched down and handed him the bowl and spoon.

“Thank you, Daddy.”  The boy looked up at Connor with huge eyes.

Connor kissed Hunter’s forehead, ruffled his hair, and smiled.  “You’re welcome.”

Hunter spooned some pudding into his mouth.  “Mm!” he said, before offering one to Skye.

“Thank you.  Ahhm.” She made an exaggerated noise as she sucked it off the spoon.  Hunter got another spoonful of pudding and turned to Connor.  “Daddy want?”

He grinned at their son. “Thanks, Hunter.”  He ate some proffered pudding and widened his eyes. “Mmm!” 

Hunter giggled and tapped his nose with a tiny finger.

Connor straightened and shook his finger at Hunter, his tone rather stern.  “Make sure you don’t feed any to Kaya.”

Kaya was their adorable two-month-old white Shiba Inu puppy.  The three parents had to keep a sharp eye on their son to make sure he didn’t feed any human food (they didn’t prepare themselves) to her.

“But sheh-wing is nice!” Hunter pouted. 

Connor knelt down.  “It is, but if you give human food, especially sweets, to Kaya, she’ll get sick, okay?”

The little boy huffed but nodded anyway.  Speak of the devil.  The tiny white dog trotted over, sat down, and cocked her head at them as if she were saying, “Were you talking about me?”

Connor took Hunter’s plastic bowl of pudding away as the boy stepped over and gently petted the puppy’s head. He giggled shrilly when she began snuffling at his face and hugged her neck.  Skye scooped up Kaya into her arms and stroked her soft head, “You been a good girl, Kaya? Haven’t eaten any barbecued human food yet?”  The puppy yipped and then licked at her chin.  She grinned and made her way to the backyard where the barbecue was, with Connor (who had picked up Hunter) following.

Lance, Warren, Brad, and Skye’s good friends from college: Rima, Cleo, and Adalina, were all talking and joking with one another while helping themselves to the kebabs, meats and vegetables Raze was grilling.  Most of the others had beers and cocktails; Raze and Warren were the only ones who had glasses of water beside them instead.

Lance had brought his girlfriend, and Warren, Rima and Adalina had brought their respective husbands.  Rima’s daughter with her husband Alistair, Jasmine, and Warren’s son Lucas were playing with their fathers on the playground and swings that Skye, Connor and Raze had built themselves when they first bought the house.

Skye set Kaya down on the ground and walked over to Raze with Connor.  Raze offered a small piece of beef to Hunter, who sucked it up and chewed happily.

Raze glanced over at her.  _“You want to give Mommy a kiss?”_ he asked Hunter in Spanish, his eyes twinkling.

Hunter leaned forward and kissed Skye on the lips, pulling back with a delighted giggle.

Lance practically hopped over. “Does Uncle Lance get one too?” He turned his cheek in the baby’s direction.

Hunter grinned and popped a quick kiss on his cheek.

Lance turned and gasped dramatically. “I never knew you loved Uncle Lance so much!”

The boy laughed; Raze reached over and ruffled Hunter’s hair and then gently tapped his chubby cheek, his gaze gentle.

Hunter pointed at Jasmine and Lucas. “Play, please?”

Connor nodded and kissed his forehead, loosening his grip on the boy and allowing him to run off and join the other kids.

Skye stared after her son, thinking back on how he used to struggle with crawling.  Shortly after Hunter began walking, Skye, Connor, and Raze had to shut their sex toys in a powerful safe in their walk-in closet.  He had enjoyed exploring and one of the first places he decided to check was his parents’ bedroom.  Even with at least one adult watching, Hunter was still a toddler who liked wandering around and touching anything he could get his hands on.

Skye, Connor, and Raze enjoyed eating, drinking and conversing with all of their friends for a few more hours until early evening.  They insisted their friends bring home most of the leftovers from the barbecue, since they had been planning to cook a homemade dinner that night anyway.

The three of them waved at the cars departing from their driveway, Raze holding Kaya in his arms, and Hunter sitting on Connor’s shoulders and playing with his father’s hair.

Raze and Connor headed back inside with their son and the puppy, but Skye lingered outside for a while longer, breathing in the cool, fresh air.  Their neighborhood was a serene, quiet residential district with lush grass and trees lining the road.  She would forever be grateful that they had found a safe home to raise Hunter and any future children.

 

**7:03pm**

 

Hunter played with Kaya in the living room while Connor watched, and Skye took advantage of the opportunity to make a new homemade dinner for Kaya before the puppy would start crying for food.

Having both Hunter and Kaya in the family, Skye felt, had made her a better cook, since it forced her to cook more meals from scratch.  But, to be fair, having Raze and Connor helping out made things a lot easier.

Kaya, tired from the day’s excitement, ended up curling up for a nap beside Hunter rather than asking for dinner while the boy colored and watched cartoons.

They put together a nice meal that night: baked halibut with fresh tomato sauce, baked fries, cauliflower soup, stuffed mushrooms, and oatmeal banana bread with walnuts and almond butter for dessert.  The smell must have woken Kaya; soon enough, the Shiba Inu puppy was sniffing her way into the kitchen and crying at Raze’s feet, who scooped her up and heated the dinner Skye had made her earlier.  Kaya finished her food with gusto before they had finished setting the table.

“Have I told you I’ve cooked so much healthier because of you guys?” Skye asked her husbands as she stored the oatmeal banana bread in the oven to keep warm. 

“A million times, babe.”  Connor kissed her cheek as he spooned out soup into three bowls and a much smaller plastic one before placing them on the dining table.

“Because Connor’s pescetarian and I gotta maintain my build.”  Raze patted down his kitchen apron-covered front and brought two of the dishes to the table.  He walked over to Hunter, who giggle-squealed when he was picked up.  “Time for dinner, Hunter.  Let’s go wash your hands.”

“You think you wouldn’t have been able to resist sweets if you weren’t with us?” Connor asked, placing his hand over Skye’s swollen belly again.  She put her own hand over his and moved their hands together in circles around her bellybutton.  She wasn’t complaining, but he seemed to be a lot touchier with her after they all discovered she was pregnant with his child.

“I think I definitely would’ve indulged every now and then.”  Skye turned away from him and took the plates out of the cabinets while Connor grabbed several sets of cutlery along with the last dish.

“We won’t stop you as long as you don’t do it too often.”  He winked at her.

She smiled: she loved sweets but eating too much of it would make her sick.  Besides, it wasn’t a treat anymore if she made it a main meal.

Once everyone’s hands had been washed and Hunter had his cloth napkin tied around his neck, they all dug in.

“Mm!” Hunter exclaimed from his high chair, once he had tasted some of the fries and stuffed mushrooms.

They laughed at him; he did it often enough to make it a habit but he was still an adorable two-and-a-half-year-old.

“Mommy’s eyes are gween, Papa’s eyes are blue and Daddy’s are…”  The toddler squinted up at Connor.  “…bwown,” he noted out loud.  Technically Raze’s eyes were blue-grey, and Connor’s were amber, but it would’ve been difficult for him to describe at this point.

“What color are Hunter’s eyes?” Skye asked him.

The little boy’s eyes crossed and they all burst out laughing again as they realized he was trying to see what color his eyes were.

She brushed back the soft tufts of his hair, doing her best to ignore Kaya staring up at her plate of food.

After dinner, Skye, Connor, and Raze busied themselves with the dishes and table while Hunter and Kaya played together in the living room.  It didn’t take long for the boy to get sleepy though; he had woken up much earlier than usual that day.

“Kaya, it’s time for bed,” said Connor, rubbing the soft fur on top of the white puppy’s head.  She barked, her tongue lolling out of her mouth as she bolted off to Hunter’s room.

Skye watched Hunter brush his teeth and wash his face.               

She picked him up, grunting exaggeratedly and pretending to stagger.  “Hunter, you’re getting so heavy!”  He laughed and pinched her nose.

Skye jogged over to his bedroom, making plane noises and weaving him to and fro in her arms.  She wasn’t sure where she got this energy from, and the first few times she did it, Raze and Connor were worried about her straining herself.  She knew she wouldn’t be able to do this anymore in a month or two, though. Hunter giggle-shrieked and clung on to her.

She set him down on the floor, and Connor and Raze walked in as Hunter began putting on his pajamas.  He had to have a little help with his shirt, but Skye was pleased that he was already fairly independent at such a young age.

She plopped her son onto the bed with a soft _thump_ and proceeded to tickle him. He squealed and pushed her hands away. Finally, she stopped and showered her son with kisses all over his face: “Mwah!  Mwah!”  Hunter puckered his lips and kissed her back: “Mwah!”

Skye pulled back and tucked her hair behind her ear and grinned, her face pink.  Kaya streaked up the puppy steps beside Hunter’s bed and curled up beside the boy.  After Raze and Connor kissed and tucked him in, Hunter sat up in his bed and piped, “Tomowwow wead stowy?”

“Yeah, we’ll read you a storybook tomorrow night,” Connor promised.

“Good night, Hunter!  Papa, Mommy, and Daddy love you!” said Raze.

Hunter snuggled into his pillow. “Good night.  Love you, Papa.  Love you, Mommy.  Love you, Daddy.”  Even though it was a well-established pre-bed routine, Skye’s heart still felt as if it melted a little every time he said it.  Connor turned off the light so only the dim orange glow of the boy’s nightlight was on, and exited the room before Raze pulled the door towards him until it was half-open.

“I love you.”

 


End file.
